The American Rivera
by MetroXLR99
Summary: when Maria Rivera adopts an American Boy, Manny has doubts about having a "brother"  his lack of attention later leads to Chris becoming friends with Zoe Aves, who takes a liking to him    Chris also holds a secret: a Magicical Mask with "Insane" powers
1. Welcome to Miracle City

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The MASK copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 01: Welcome To Miracle City

[Miracle City]

The Sun Rose Over Mexican Metropolis Of Miracle City.  
>It Was Home To Superheroes And Supervillains Alike...And, The "HeroVillain" El Tigre.

As With Any Other Day, The Morning Started With The Usual-

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Policia Squad Cars Chased After a Large, Muscular Man In a Bear Suit Who Was Holding Bags Of Cash That He Stole From One Of The Many Banks Of Miracle City.

"YOU`LL NEVER CATCH ME, MANG!" Exclaimed El Oso

Just Then, a Man Wearing Bronze Boots And a Luchador Mask Arrived.

"EL OSO!  
>SURRENDER TO WHIIIIIIIIIIIITE PANTERA-"<p>

Oso Punched Pantera In The Jaw.

"NO WAY, MANG!"

While Oso Was Distracted, a Mechanical Claw Snatched His Bags Of cash.

"WHAT!

Oso Looked To See An Old Man In a Gold, Mechanical Suit: Puma Loco.

"GOTCHA!"

Loco Fired a Missle AT Oso, Knocking Him Into a Wall.  
>He Then Walks Over To His Son...Who Is Still Dazed.<p>

"Papi...I Didn`t Know You Had Twin Brothers!" Muttered Pantera In Slurred Speech

The Old Man Sighed.

"sometimes i no believe we`re related..."

Pantera Soon Recovers And Gets Up.

"Papi...Where Is The Money?"

Puma Whistles Innocently.

"What Money?

"The Money You Hiding Behind Your Back."

Puma Looks Behind Him.

"This Proves Nothing."

Pantera Reached Out his Hand.  
>Realising He Was Defeated, The Old Supervillain Gave Pantera The Money.<p>

"killjoy..."

The Police Soon Arrived.  
>Pantera Gave Them The Money And Helped Them Haul Oso Into An Armored Truck.<p>

Puma Loco Approached Pantera.

"Say...Just Where IS Manny, Anyway?  
>Wasn`t he Suppose To Be Helping You Fight The Crimes, today?"<p>

"Actually, I Haven`t Seen Him Since This Morning...  
>But, When I Do...We Are Going To Have a "Serious Talk".<p>

Pantera Marched Off.

"i sure glad i`m not him, right now." Said Puma Loco With a Smile

[Meanwhile, Atop The Miracle City Volcano]

a Mexican Boy With Chocolate Brown Hair Was With a Goggled Headed Girl With Blue Hair.  
>They Sat In a Shopping Cart That they Snatched From a Local Store And Wore Makeshift Helmets.<p>

"THIS WILL BE AWESOME IF WE SURVIVE!" Said Manny

"LET`S GO!" Shouted Frida

The Two Teenagers Rolled Down The Volcano.  
>They Soon Picked Up Speed And Zoomed Into the City Streets Of Miracle City.<p>

They Zoomed Down The Road, Narrowly Avoiding Passing Cars And Crashing Into Stuff.  
>Several People Yelled Angrily At Them As They Passed By...Some Even Cursing a Bit.<p>

"WHOOO-HOOOOOOOOOO!" Shouted Frida

Manny`s Eyes Grew Wide As He Saw What Was In Front Of Him: The ENd Of an Incomplet Road.

"OH, !"

They Crashed Through The Warning Sign And Fell Down The Drop.  
>Luckily, They Landed In a Passing Garbage Truck Which Was Headed For The City Dump.<p>

Manny And Frida Laughed Crazily At What Happened.

"That Just NEVER Get`s Old!" Said Frida

"When You Right Your Right." Said Manny

[Later]

"MANUEL PABLO GUTIERREZ O`BRIEN EQUIHUA RIVERA!" Shouted Rudolfo Angrily

Manny And Frida Were Sitting In Manny`s House, Who Were Being Scolded By Manny`s Dad.

Manny Was Being Scolded For Not Showing Up To Fight Crime Like He Said He Would While, FRIDA Was Being Scolded For Talking Manny Into Going On Their Little "Joyride".

"Manny, I Don`t Know What I`m Going To Do With You..." Said Rudolfo

"try spanking him." Whispered Grandpapi Rivera

"Come On, Dad.  
>I`m Sorry I Missed Out On Our Time Together...I Just FORGOT!"<p>

"Yes, You Just Forget...for the hundreth time in several weeks." Said Grandpapi Rivera

"Dude, Why Are You So Upset?" Asked Frida

"Because I Have Been To Preoccupied With Saving My Idiot Son That I have Had NO TIME To Rob The Banks And Museums Like I`m Suppose To Do!"

"Oh..."

Manny Looked At His Dad.

"Come On, Dad...I Promise I`ll Be There NEXT TIME!"

Rudolfo Sighed.

"Oh, Very Well, Manny...I`m Giving You ONE LAST CHANCE.  
>But, Mess Up This Time...And, I Will Have No Choice But To GROUND YOU!"<p>

Grandpapi Rivera Scoffed.

"You Heroes ALWAYS Go Way Too Easy On The Childrens...  
>When I Raised You, I Was Never Such a Softy...You get Outta Line Once, AND I CRUSH YOU!"<p>

"Papi...I Never Got Out Of Line." Said Rudolfo

"HA!  
>See, My Point Exactly!"<p>

Rudolfo Sighed.  
>Sometimes Having a Supervillain Father Was "Difficult".<p>

Manny And Frida Got Up.

"Well, If You Need Us...We`ll be-

"OFF TO SCHOOL!" Finsihed Rudolfo

Manny And Frida Saw The School Bus Drive Off From a Window.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Manny And Frida Ran Out The Door So Fast, Rudolfo And Grandpapi Could Feel The Wind.  
>They Later Saw Manny And Frida Franticly Chasing And Yelling At The School Bus.<p>

[Later, At The Miracle City High School]

a Woman With Long And Curly, Chocolate Brown Hair Put Some Books Away In The School Library...

The Woman Was MARIA RIVERA.  
>She Was Manny`s Mother And EX-Wife Of Rudolfo.<p>

Though Divorced (Her Reasons Being Not Able To Handle Rudolfo`s DANGEROUS Lifestyle)  
>She Still Lived VERY CLOSE To Her Son`s Apartment Home In Her Own Mansion Which Was Built Off Of Her Past Musical Career As a MARIACHI SINGER.<br>Though, She Was Perfectly Content With Her New, Average Career As a Librarian.

"RIVERA!" Shouted a Harsh Voice

Maria Turned To See The High School`s Vice-Princeble, AKA "HER BOSS".

"Y-Y-Yes?"

"I Would Like To See You In My Office AFTER SCHOOL...It`s About Your Son."

Maria Sweated a Little.  
>She Knew That Everytime Someone Mention "Your Son", It Was NEVER Anything Good.<p>

"W-What`s It About?"

"oh, nothing...  
>Just a Little Mishap That Involved Him And That Suarez Girl Causing a RUCKESS IN THE CAFETERIA!"<p>

Maria Sighed.

"not again..."

The Vice-Princible Left, Leaving Maria Alone.  
>Sometimes She Wished Her Son Was "Better Behaved"...But THAT Was Too Much To Hope For.<p>

[Meanwhile, Outside Miracle City]

a Train Moved Down The Tracks Going Through The Desert.  
>It Stopped At a Cental Station And Unloaded All It`s Passengers.<p>

One Of Them Was a Teenaged Boy With Light Brown Hair, Light Brown Eyes And Carrying Only a Small Backpack And a Jack Russle Terrier WIth Him.

The Boy Was Obviously American And His Tattered Clothes Indicated He Was Poor.

The Sun Gleemed In His Eyes As He Got Off The Train.

"Well, Max...Here We Are." Said The Boy To His Dog

"Mexico...  
>If I Can`t Make It Here, I`ll Never Make It Anywhere."<p>

Max The Dog Groaned a Bit.  
>The Boy Got In Line With Some People As They Presented Their "Papers".<p>

Soon, Chris Walked Up To The Teller.

"Okay, Kid...Let`s See Your Registeration." Said The Teller

Chris Handed The Man His Passport.  
>He Read It Carefully, Muttering To Himself.<p>

"now, let`s see, here...  
>mr. chris johnson, Hmmmmm...american, huh?<br>We Don`t Get Many Visitors From The "U.S. Of A" Around These Parts."

"I`m Just Here To Get Away From It All..." Replied Chris

"Well, Mexico Is Definetly The Place To Be...  
>Anyway...You Seem To Check Out Alright."<p>

The Man Stamped On The Passport, Then Handed Them Back To Him.

"Welcome To Mexico, Kid...Enjoy Your Stay."

"Thanks...  
>Say, Do You Know Where The Nearest Town Is Located?<p>

"The Closest Town Would Be MIRACLE CITY...Just Several Miles That-A-Way."

"Thanks."

Chris Began To Leave.

"I WOULDN`T RECOMEND GOING THERE, KID!  
>THAT TOWN IS FULL OF CRIMINALS AND OUTLAWS!"<p>

"Gee...Sounds Just Like New Jersy." Joked Chris

The Man Sighed.

"Fine...Have It Your Way.  
>But, DON`T SAY I DIDN`T WARN YA!"<p>

Chris Waved Goodbye, Then Walked Off.  
>He Walked Into The Nearest Bus...<p>

But, Seconds Later...Was Thrown Out.

"NO DOGS ALLOWED!" Shouted The Driver

Max Growled At Him.

"(Sigh)...I Guess We`re Walking."

Chris Looked Out Into a Desert.

"My, My...  
>All Of a Sudden, I Feel Like "Lawence Of Arabia"." Said Chris<p>

BARK! BARK!

Chris Began To Walk Through The Desert...Carrying His Dog Max In His Arms.

[Back In Miracle City]

Maria Sighed As She Drove Her Car Towards Home.  
>The Meeting With The Princible Wasn`t Exactly "Fun"...<p>

Aside From Rudolfo Constantly Flirting WIth Her, She Kept Getting "Dirty Looks" From Frida`s Parents.  
>And, The Vice Princible Was His Usual ANGRY Self...Still Threatning Either HER Or MANNY.<p>

Maria HATED Getting The Image Of a "Bad Parent"  
>She Mostly Got This Title Due To Her Not Living In The Same House As Her Son...<br>So, Because She Was "Never Around"...She Automaticly Got The "Bad Parent" Lable.

Sad Truth Is...Maria Actually DID Wish She Had Child Around The House.  
>But, She Couldn`t Really Take Manny AWAY From His Father And Grandfather...It Wouldn`t Be Right.<p>

Some Days Maria Felt It WOuld Be Easier To Just RE-MARRY Rudolfo...  
>But, She Swore She Wouldn`t...Not Until He Gave Up Being White Pantera For Good.<p>

Maria Stopped Her car At a Traffic Light.  
>She Looked Out Her Window At The Street...Her Mind Lost In Thought.<p>

It Was At that Moment, That She Saw a Strange Boy In Tattered Clothes Walking Down The Street.  
>He Was Holding a Little Dog And He Looked VERY TIRED...His Hair Wet And Damp For Some Reason.<p>

"(Deep Sighs And Groaning) Well...We Made It.  
>Now, All We Have To DO Is Find a Place To Stay And We`ll Be Fine..." Said Chris<p>

Max Grumbled.

"Hey!, Don`t Give Me Any Lip!  
>Sure, Things Have Been Going Bad For Us...ALOT.<br>But, WHO KNOWS!...Maybe Our Luck Is Finally Changing!"

a Car Sped By And Splashed Sewer Water Onto Chris And Max.

"Yep...Our Luck is Changing: From BAD To WORSE." Said Chris

Maria Started At This Boy.

"oh my god...that poor boy."

Maria`s Kind Hearted Spirit Got The Best Of Her.  
>She Drove Her Car Over To The Curb, She Opened The door And Walked Over To Him.<p>

"Boy!  
>Boy, Are You Okay?" Asked Maria<p>

Chris Wiped The Slimey Water Off his Sweaty Scalp.

"Depends On Your Definition Of "Okay"..."

Chris Suddenly Sneezed Loudly.

"Oh, You Poor Thing...You`ve Caught a Cold."

"Naw...I Probably Had Some Dust In My Nose."

"You Shouldn`t Be Out In The Street All By Yourself...It's Dangerous In This Part Of Town."

"Yeah...I Sort Caught that When Some Creepy Guys Tried To Eat My Dog." Said Chris

Maria Bent Down To The Boy.

"Your...Not From Around Here, Are You?"

"No, I`m Not.  
>I`m New In Town...Just Got Here."<p>

"Then...Where Are Your Parents?  
>Surely They Must Be Worried About You."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"i don`t...have any parents."

Maria Was Take Back In Shock.

"No...NO PARENTS?"

Chris Shook His Head Silently.

"Well...Don`t You Have a Home?"

"no...i`m looking for one.  
>I`d Ask you Where The Nearest Hotel Is...Except, I Don`t have Any Money.<br>But, If You Have a Spare Cardboard Box You Not Using...I`d Be VERY GREATFUL."

Maria Stared Blanky At The Boy.  
>She Knew She Couldn`t Leave Him Alone...Not Like This.<p>

"I Have a Better Idea...Why Don`t You Come With Me.  
>I Can Give You a Place To Stay...At Least For The Night."<p>

"Gee...I Don`t Know.  
>I Wouldn`t Want To Intrude."<p>

"Nonsense...I Can`t Just Leave You On The Streets"

Chris Thought About This.  
>He Looked At His Dog Max.<p>

"What Do You Think, Boy?  
>Should We Spend a Night In a Box In The Dangerous City?<br>Or, Do We Go With This Pretty Lady to a NICE And SAFE House That May Actually Have a BED?"

Max Barked Loudly.

"Okay...You Talked Me Into It."

Chris Walked Over To Maria`s Car And Got In.  
>Maria Also Got In The Car And Drove Off.<p>

"By The Way...My name Is MARIA RIVERA.  
>I Work At The Library At The Miracel City High School."<p>

"Really?  
>That`s Great..."<p>

"What`s Your Name?"

"Chris Johnson...And This Is My Dog: Max."

Maria Eyed Him.

"Chris Johnson?...That`s An Odd Name.  
>Where Did You Say You Were From, Again?<p>

"I Didn`t...  
>But, Since You Asked: New York City"<p>

Maria Swerved The Car a Bit.

"N-N-NEW YORK!  
>You Mean...Your From The AMERICA!"<p>

"Yep.  
>And, Let Me Tell Ya...It Wasn`t Easy Getting a Train Ticket To Mexico From There!"<p>

Maria Looked At Him, Then Looked Towards The Road.

"interesting..."

After a Few Minutes, They Reached a Large Mansion.  
>Chris Looked Out The Car Window With Wide Eyes.<p>

"whoa...Now That DEFINETLY Beats a Cardboard Box In a Dark Alley."

Maria Parked Her Car She Got Out, As Well As Chris...Who Ran Inside The Mansion.

He Marveled At How Large It Was.

"Wow...That Libraian Salary Must Do You Good, Huh?"

Maria Chuckled.

"Actually, This Manor Came From The Money I Made As a MARIACHI SINGER.

Vhris Eyed Her.

"YOUR A SINGER!"

"I Was a Singer...I`m Retired, Now."

Chris Whistled Loudly.

"Some Retirment..."

Maria Walked Up To Him.

"So...You Hungry?

Chris Got Excited.

"YOU BET!  
>I AM STARVING!"<p>

Maria Eyed Him.

"O...Kay.

[Later]

Maria Was Sitting At a Dinner Table And Watched Dumbfoundedly As Chris Skarfed Down Large Quantitied Of Food.

"You, Uhhhh...Must Of Been Hungry."

Chris Stopped Eating To Speak.

"you bet...I Haven`t Eaten Anything In a LONG TIME."

"Ummmm...Exactly HOW LONG?" Asked Maria, Dreading The Answer

"What Month Is It?" Asked Chris, Innocently

Maria`s Eyes Were As Wide As Dinner Plate.

"Hey...Are You Gonna Eat Those Mashed Potatos? Asked Chris

Maria Maintained Her Blank Stare As She Pushed Her Plate To Him.

"Thanks."

Chris Began To Eat Some More.  
>Maria Then Got Up From Her Chair.<p>

"Excuse Me...I Need To Do Something."

Maria Walked Away.  
>She Ran Out Her House, Hopped In The Car And Drove Off.<p>

[Meanwhile, At The Miracle City Orphanage]

Maria Was Sitting On a Chair In Someone`s Office.  
>a Man Was At a Computer, Searching Through Some Files.<p>

"Your Saying The Boy`s Name Is CHRIS JOHNSON?" Asked The Man

"Yes...That`s His Name."

"And, He Is From NEW YORK And Is An ORPHAN."

"Uh-Huh...I`m Sure."

"Hmmmmm...Very Interesting."

"Can You get Some Information On Him? Asked Maria

"Well, That May Be Tricky...  
>Since He`s American, We May Have Problems Getting Info On Him."<p>

The Man Stroked His Chin.

"I Suppose I Could Look Through Mexican Customs...  
>If He Has a Passport, Then I may be Able To Access His Records."<p>

The Computer Beeped.

"AH-HA!, There We Go..."

"You Got Something?" Asked Maria

The Man Read What Was On the Monitor.

"Well...It Says Here, That Mr. Johnson Has Records Of Being In The "Martin Daniels Orphanage" Located In Queens, New York...  
>His Time There Goes Back To INFANCY...He Was Apparently Left There At The Doorstep, According To This Report."<p>

"oh, my..." Said Maria

"Let`s See...  
>It Says He Stay Until He Was Twelve And Was Reported To Of Ran Away By That Time."<p>

"How Come?"

"Because, It`s Usually At The Age Of Twelve That Kids Lose Their Chances At Being Adopted...  
>Everybody Knows That Parents Go For The Cute THREE Or FIVE Years Olds...NEVER The Teenagers."<p>

"If That`s True, Then...How Come He Was Never Adopted?"

"Search Me...  
>Sounds To Me Like Nobody Wanted Him."<p>

Maria Sighed Sadly.  
>Then, She Got AN Idea In Her Head.<p>

"Mister...Could It Be Possible For ME To Adopt The Boy?"

The Man Eyed Maria.

"Well...I May Have To Go Through Some LEGAL ISSUES.  
>But, I Suppose It`s Possible...Though, I Don`t Know WHY You`d Want To."<p>

Maria Eyed The Man Sharply.

"My Reasons Are SIMPLE: He`s a Boy That Deserves a Family.  
>And, If His Own People Won`t Take Him...I WILL."<p>

"You DO Realise What You Getting Yourself Into?...  
>Raising An American Son In a Mexican City THIS BENT...Won`t be a Walk In The Park."<p>

"I`ll Take My Chances..."

The Man Sighed.

"Very Well..."

He Tooked Out a Clipboard With a Piece Of Paper On It.

"Just Sign Your Name Here...  
>Ensuring That You Agree To These Terms And Take FULL RESPONSIBILITY For The Boy."<p>

Maria Took the Clip Board.  
>She Grabbed a Pen And Slowly Signed Her Name On The Dotted Line.<p>

The Man Took The Board And Paper Away.  
>He Ran It Through a Scanner And Typed Into The Computer.<p>

a Paper Printed Out Of It Which He Handed To Maria Rivera.

"Congradulation, You`ve Just became a Mother The EASY, NON-PAINFUL WAY..."

Maria Took The Paper.  
>It Was An Official Document That Stated SHE Was Legally Chris`s Adoptive Mother.<p>

"Thank You." Said Maria

She Got Up And Left The Office.

[Meanwhile, Back At Maria`s Mansion]

Chris Opened a Door And Found a Small Room.

"Well, This Looks Like a Decent Place To Stay."

Chris Walked Over And Flopped Down On The Bed.

"Ooooooooo...What a SOFT BED!  
>Been Awhile Since I`ve Been In One Of These Things."<p>

Soon After That, Maria Walked In.

"Chris...Can I talk To You a Moment?"

Chris Sat Up.

"Sure, Ms. Rivera..."

Maria Sat Beside Chris On The Bed.

"Chris...I`d Like To Know More About You."

Chris Looked At Her.

"Okay...What Do You Wanna Know?"

"Well, For Starters...Could You Tell Me Why You Came To Mexico?"

Chris Sighed.

"Well...I`ve Had ALOT Of Bad Luck Back Home In The States.  
>See, I Grew Up In An Orphanage...I Was Left At The Doorstep As An Infant And Growing Up There Was HARD While Every Other Kid Were There Because Their Parents Died, I Was There Because My Parents Left Me."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"I`m Not Sure If They Gave Me Up Because They Couldn`t Take Care Of Me And Wanted What Was Best For Me.  
>Or, Because They Didn`t Want Me And Just Wanted to get Rid Of Me...like all the other kids told me."<p>

Maria Looked At Chris.

"oh...i`m so sorry."

Chris Sighed.

"Well...Things Got HARDER As The Years Rolled By.  
>I Was Always Picked On And Made Fun Of By EVERYONE, Which Didn`t Change As I Got Older I Watched Every Other Kid Get Adopted...While I Was Always Left Behind."<p>

Chris Exhaled Deeply.

"no parent ever wanted to adopt me...  
>So, I Ran Away From That Place When I Was Twelve...No Way Was I Gonna Wait To Be Put In a FOSTER HOME.<br>I Tried To Make It On My Own, But I failed At Every Turn...So, that`s Why I`m Here In Mexico.  
>I`m Hoping To Start Over And Live a New Life Here...One That`s Better, Hopfully."<p>

Maria Smiled.

"Chris...I Have Something For You."

"What Is It?" Asked Chris

Maria Handed Chris a Small Box.  
>He Opened It And Saw What Was Inside: An Adoption Paper...With Maria Rivera`s Signiture.<p>

"W-What`s This?"

"You Know What It Is."

Chris Was Skaken, Near Tears.

"i...i don`t understand."

"Chris...Your a Good Boy Who Deserves a Family.  
>You`ve Had a Rough Life, And I Want To Help By Giving You a Better One.<br>Now, I Know I`m Not Perfect...But, I Hope That You Can Consider Me a Mother To You."

Chris Teared Up a Little.  
>He Hugged Maria, Who Hugged Him Back.<p>

"i...i have a home." Said Chris In Disbelief

"i...i have a mother."

Maria Affectionetly Brushed His Hair.

"yes, my son...you do."

Maria Then Got Up.

"Now...You Must Be Tired From You Trip Here."

"Well, Now That You Mention It...I Am a Little Bushed."

Maria Tucked Him Into the Bed.

"Then Rest For Awhile...  
>I Call You Later To Meet The Rest Of Your Family."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"Thank...M-Mom."

Maria Smiled.  
>She Then Left Chris Alone.<p>

Chris Sighed Happily As Max Jumped Up To him.

"Well, Boy...Looks Like Things Are Finally Looking Up!

Max Made a Dog Noise, Then Curled Up To Chris Chris Yawned As He Turned Over And Took a Little Nap.


	2. Day One

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The MASK copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 02: Day One

[Later That Day]

Rudolfo Was Franticly Running Around, Cleaning Up The House.  
>Grandpapi Just Stared At His Idiot Son As He Went Crazy...Again.<p>

"What Are You Doing?" Asked The Old Man

"CLEANING THE HOUSE!" Shouted Rudolfo

"Yes, I Can See That...But, WHY?"

"Because The ANGEL That Is Maria Is Coming Over Soon!  
>She Says She Has a Surprise For The Whole Family."<p>

"Ooooooh...So, That is Why You Acting Nuts."

"Yes, That Is Why I`m-"

Rudolfo Glared At His Father.

"If You Need Me, I Be Watching a Football Game On The TV."

Grandpapi Rivera Walked Away.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Rudolfo Suddenly Froze.  
>Grandpapi Sighed Deeply.<p>

"I Guess I`ll Be Getting The Door, Then."

Grandpapi Walked Over And Opened The Door.  
>He Saw Maria Rivera...And a Kid He`d NEVER Seen Before.<p>

"Oh...You Here."

Maria Smiled.

"Hello, Grandpapi...Is Manny Around?"

"Naw...  
>That Boy Goofing Off With That Frida Girl."<p>

Maria Walked Inside The House, Chris Walked In And Looked Around.

"Nice Place..."

Grandpapi Eyed Chris.

"Who That?" Asked Grandpapi

"My NEW Son." Said Maria

Grandpapi Eyed Her.

"I Fail To See Any Resemblance Here."

"He`s Adopted."

"Oh."

Chris Walked Over To The Frozen Rudolfo Rivera.

"What An Impressive Statue."

Chris tapped At It.

"Looks So Real-"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shrieked Rudolfo

"GAH!, IT`S ALIVE!" Exclaimed Chris

Maria Walked Over.

"Hello, Rudolfo..."

Rudolfo Suddenly Started Acting Charming.

"Mariaaaaaa...  
>You Look Great!...Didja Lose Some Weight?"<p>

Maria Eyed Him.  
>Rudolfo Slapped His Face.<p>

"Wait, That Came Out Wrong..."

Maria Sighed.

"Rudolfo...I`d Like You To Meet Someone."

Maria Grabbed Chris By His SHoulders And Brought Him To Rudolfo.

"My New Son: Chris."

Rudolfo Started To Panic.

"NEW SON!  
>Then That Means...(GASP!), YOU`VE FOUND ANOTHER MAN!"<p>

Rudolfo Began To Cry.  
>Then, he Stopped When He Looked At Him.<p>

"Say...Your Pretty Big For a Baby, Aren`t You?"

Chris Eyed The Man.

"I`m Fourteen Years Old, You Dipstick."

Rudolfo Stared At Him.

"Rudolfo...He`s Adopted."

Rudolfo Stared Blankly.

"oh...I See."

Chris Looked At Maria.

"Mom...Who IS This Joker?"

Maria Sighed.

"my ex-husband..."

Chris Looked At Rudolfo

"Your EX?

Maria Nodded.  
>Chris Just Cracked a Smile, Then Chuckled.<p>

"No, Seriously...Who Is He?"

Grandpapi Smiled.

"Oh, I Like The Boy Already..."

Just Then, The Door Opened And Manny And Frida Walked In.

"WE TOTALLY RULED AT THAT GAME, DUDE!" Exclaimed Frida

"Yes, We-"

Manny Sees His Mother.

"MOM!  
>What Are You Doing Here?<p>

Manny Then Notices Chris.

"And, Who Is That?"

Maria Faced Manny.

"Manny...This Is Your NEW BROTHER."

Manny Froze.

"B-B-B-B-BROTHER!"

"Yes...I Just Adopted Him Today."

Chris Walked Up To Manny And Frida.

"What`s With The Scar?" Said Chris

Manny Slapped His Face.  
>While Frida Just Laughed.<p>

"Dude...Your Bro Is a Brit!"

"American."

"Oh...Well, I Was Close."

Manny Fainted.

"Okay...That Could Of Gone Better." Said Chris

[Later, At Dinner]

The Rivera Family (Plus Frida) Were Eating At The Dinner Table.

"So, Chris...Your From NEW YORK CITY?" Asked Rudolfo

"Yep.

"What`s It Like, There?"

Chris Thought a Bit.

"Kinda Like This Place...Only Without The Volcano And The Heatwaves."

Grandpapi Smiled.

"Sound Like My Kinda City..."

Manny Was Silent During The Whole Dinner.

"Well, It Certainly Is An Honor To Have You With Us As a RIVERA." Said Rudolfo

"RIVERA!  
>HE`S NOT A REAL RIVERA!, HE`S JUST SOME KID WHOSE LIVING WITH MY MOM!" Shouted Manny<p>

"MANNY!" Said Maria Sternly

Chris Was Silent.

"Uhhhhh...I Think I Should Go.  
>I Need To Call My Dog On The Phone, He Gets Mighty Lonely If I Don`t Check Up On Him."<p>

Chris Got Up And Walked Away.

"That`s So Sweet...Thinking Of His Dog Like That." Said Frida WIth a Smile

Maria Just Glared At Manny Sternly She Then Got Up And Walked Outside To The Balcony Where Chris Was.

Rudolfo EYed Manny.

"What!  
>What I Do?" Exclaimed Manny<p>

[Outside]

Chris Stood At The Balcony Of The Apartment Building`s Penthouse, Overlooking The Sunset.  
>The Door Opened And Maria Walked Over To Him.<p>

"Chris...You Okay?"

Chris Sighed.

"Your Ex And The Old Guy Seem Nice...  
>But, Manny Doesn`t Really Like Me That Well."<p>

"Give Him Time...This Whole Thing Is NEW For Him.

"I Don`t Know."

"Don`t Worry, Chris...  
>I`m Sure Manny Will Accept You As His Brother Eventually."<p>

Chris Looked At Her.

"You Really Think So?"

Maria Smiled.

"Trust Me...He Will."

Chris Smiled.

"okay...i trust you.

Maria Hugs Him.

[Later]

Maria Was At The Door.

"Well, Rudolfo...We Have To Be Going."

"MUST YOU!

Maria Narrowed Her Eyes.

"yes, rudolfo...I Must.  
>Chris Needs To get To Bed On Time If he Is Going To be Ready For His First Day Of School."<p>

Maria Looked At Manny.

"And, Manny...I Want You to TRY And Be Nice To Chris.  
>He`s Your Brother Now, SO You Had Better Start Getting Used To It."<p>

Manny Sighed.

"fine..."

Maria Kissed His head.

"Night, Mijo..."

Maria Left With Chris Manny Marched Off To His Room...Followed By Frida.

Many Slammed His Door Open.

"!"

"Dude...What`s With You?" Asked Frida

"IT`S...THAT...KID!  
>HE`S LIVING IN MY MOTHER`S HOUSE!"<p>

"So?"

"SO!  
>SO, IT WON`T BE LONG BEFORE MOM IS SPENDING MORE TIME WITH HIM THAN WITH ME!"<p>

"Oh, Manny...I Think Your Overreacting To This Whole Thing."

"I AM NOT OVERREACTING!" Shouted Manny

Frida Stared At Him.

"O...Kay, Then."

[Casa Del Mariachi, The Next Morning]

Chris Walked Down The Stairs And Into The Kitchen.  
>He Was Wearing a New Backpack And Was Ready For His First Day Of School.<p>

"Chris...Don`t Forget You Lunch!"

Maria Handed Chris a Bag.

"Thanks...See Ya."

Maria Kissed His Head.

"Have a GOOD DAY AT SCHOOL."

Chris Smiled, Then Walked Away.  
>He Walked Out The Door...And Saw The School Bus Leaving Without Him.<p>

"oh, you have got to be kidding me..."

Chris Ran After The Bus As Fast As He Could.

"HEEEEEEEEEY!  
>WAIT UP!, STOP THE BUS!" Shouted Chris<p>

The Other Teenagers Laughed As Chris Tried To Catch Up.  
>Manny And Frida Were Riding In The Bus (For ONCE) And Ducked Their Head In Embarassment.<p>

"this is so uncool..." Said Manny

"just ignore him, and everything will be fine." Said Frida

The Bus Soon Pulled Up To The High School.  
>As The Kids Walked Out, Chris Caught Up...But, Tripped And Fell Into a Puddle Of Water.<p>

All The Kids Laughed At Him.

"Who Is This Loser!" Said One Kid

Manny And Frida Blushed.

"We Honestly Don`t Know..." Said Frida

Chris Got Up, Then Walked Over To Manny.

"HEY, MANNY!"

Manny Gritted His Teeth In Stress.

"You Know Rivera?" Said a Kid

"Sure...He`s My Brother."

Manny Froze.  
>The Entire Yard Errupted In Laughter.<p>

"RIVERA`S BROTHER IS A GRINGO!"

Manny Growled As He Stomped Away.  
>Chis Was Left Confused And Dumfounded.<p>

"Was It Something I Said?"

a Kid With Spikey Green Hair Shoved Chris Into The Ground.

"HA! HA!"

Chris Sighed As He Sat On The Ground.

"just like home..."

Just Then, a Shadow Was Cast Of Him.  
>Chris Looked Up To See a Goth Girl With Black Hair That Had Lavender Hightlights And Ruby Red Eyes That Was Partly Covered By Her Hair With Spikey Eyeliner.<p>

"Hello, There...What`s Your Name?" Asked The Girl

Chris Stared At The Girl...Who Was PRETTY To Him.

"Uhhhhhhhh...  
>C-Chris, Chris J-Johnson."<p>

"CHRIS...What I Nice Name.  
>My Name Is ZOE...Zoe Aves."<p>

"Really?  
>That Name Sure Is Pretty..."<p>

Zoe Smiled.

"Why, Thank You..."

Zoe Helped Chris Up.

"So...Your Manny`s Brother?"

"Y-Yes...But, Only By Adoption."

"Oh, I Kinda Figured That Out Myself."

"Was It Really That OBVIOUS?"

"Oh, Trust Me...a Guy Like You Sticks Out Like a Sore Thumb.  
>So...You Might Need Some Help Getting Around This School."<p>

Chris Eyed Her.

"Why Would You help Me?"

Zoe Smiled.

"Oh...No Reason.  
>I Just Know What It feels Like To Be a NEW KID Who Doesn`t Fit In."<p>

"Oh...Well, Thanks!"

Chris Walked Off To School.  
>Zoe Stay Behind And Smiled Sinisterly.<p>

"heh-heh-heh, Yeeeeessss...  
>And, Besides...You Just Might Be The Key To My PERFECT REVENGE On Manny Rivera."<p>

Zoe Chuckled Evily To Herself.  
>She Then Followed Chris Into The School.<p>

The First Day Of School Was Less Than Appealing For Chris...

He Kept Getting Funny Looks By All The Hispanic Kids (And Bullied By Spike And His Gang)  
>Manny And Frida Seemed To be Avoiding Him Alot, But The Zoe Aves Girl Seemed To Like Him.<p>

[Later]

Chris Walked Out Of Gym Class, His Face All Brused Up.

"SEE YA NEXT TIME, KID!" Shouted Someone

Chris Sighed.

"i can hardly wait..."

Chris Suddenly Saw Manny And Frida.

"HEY, GUYS!"

Chris After Them.  
>Manny And Frida Cringed As They Eyed Him.<p>

"oh, no...not him" Said Manny

Chris Walked Up To Them.

"So...Whatcha Guys Doing After School?"

"Ooooooh...Some STUFF." Said Frida

"Like What?"

"Oh, Like...Uhhhhhhh."

Frida Thinks, Then Gets An Idea."

"COMMUNITY SERVICE!"

Manny Eyed Her.

"We Ar-"

Frida Hits Manny WIth a Smile.

"OH-OH!  
>YEEEEEES...Community Service." Said Manny, Getting The Hint<p>

"And, We Wouldn`t Want To Drag You Along With Us...It's Such BORING WORK."

Chris Looked At Them.

"Oh...Okay."

Manny And Frida Left, While Chris Walked Off Alone.

"Whoo!  
>We Sure Got Outta That One!" Said Frida<p>

"Now, If Only We Can Avoid Him Like This Every Day.  
>Seems Just My Luck That I get a LOSER For a Brother..." Said Manny<p>

Chris Sighed As He Walked Away.  
>He Then Saw Zoe Aves, Who Was Trying To Get Her Notebook Away From Spike And His Gang.<p>

"HEY!  
>GIVE IT BACK!" Shouted Zoe<p>

"KEEP IT AWAY FROM ZOE!" Said Spike

Chris Narrowed His Eyes.  
>He Marched Over To Them, Feeling a Little Brave.<p>

"HEY!, YOU JERKS!"

Spike And His gang Turned To Face Chris.

"Why Don`t You Pick On Someone Your Own Size!"

Spike Grinned.

"You Mean...Like YOU?"

Chris Froze.

"W-Well...  
>That Wasn`t My Original Plan, But-"<p>

[Later]

Chris Was Locked Inside a Small Locker...Courtesy Of Spike And His Gang.

"sometimes being the hero isn`t always what it`s cracked up to be..." Muttered Chris

Just Then, He Heard Some Clicking From Outside.  
>The Door Soon Swung Open And Chris Fell Out...Where He Saw Zoe Looking At Him.<p>

"Hey..." Said Zoe

Chris Smiled.

"Hi-Ya..."

Zoe Sighed.

"Thanks For...Saving Me Back There." Said Zoe

Chris Chuckled Nervously As He Got Up.

"No Prob...It`s The Least I Could Do."

"Why Did You Do It?  
>You Must Of Known Spike Would Clobber You."<p>

"Well...You`ve Been So Nice To Me.  
>I Couldn`t Just Let Those Guys Pick On You."<p>

Zoe Looked At Him.

"Oh...  
>Well...Thanks."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"Oh!, And...Thanks For Getting My Out Of That Locker."

"Your Welcome...Cracking Locks Is a "Speciality" Of Mine."

"Must Come In Handy."

Zoe Smiled.

"It DOES Have It`s Advantages."

Chris Grinned, Then Sighed Sharply.

"Well...I Guess I`ll Be Seeing You.  
>I Guess I`ll Be Going Home After School."<p>

"How Come?"

"Manny And Frida Are Busy."

Zoe Growled a Bit.

"oh...i see."

Zoe Then Realised Something.

"Your Going Home?  
>Could Uhhh...I Come?"<p>

"I Don`t See Why Not.  
>Maria Rivera Would Be Happy To Have Visitors"<p>

"Maria!" Exclaimed Zoe

"Yeah...My Mom."

Zoe Smiled.

"Oh...even better." Whispered Zoe

"You Say Something?" Asked Chris

"NO."

Chris Smiled.

"Well...I`ll See You After School."

Chris Left.  
>Once He Was Gone, Zoe Smiled To Herself As He Left.<p>

"Maria Rivera, Huh?  
>I Bet She Might Have Something I Could Use Against The Rivera`s..."<p>

[After School]

Chris Was Waiting Outside The School...  
>Pretty Soon, Zoe Showed Up And Walked Towards Him.<p>

"Hey, Chris..."

Chris Smiled.

"Hi, Zoe.  
>You ready To Go?"<p>

Zoe Grinned.

"Oh, Of Course I Am...  
>So, Where Is Our Ride?"<p>

As If On Cue...a Car Pulled Up.  
>Maria Was In The Driver`s Seat.<p>

"Hey, Chris...Ready To Go?"

Chris Looked AT Her With a Smile.

"YEP!  
>And, I Brought a Friend: Zoe Aves."<p>

Maria Smiled.

"AVES?  
>Why Isn`t That The Little Girl Of My Friend: Carmelita?"<p>

Zoe Nodded.

"Yep.  
>That`s My Mom...The School`s Art Teacher."<p>

"I Was Wondering Why She Gave You Such a GOOD GRADE." Said Chris

"Well, Come On In..." Said Maria

Chris And Zoe Got Into The Car And Drove Off.  
>Meanwhile, Manny And Frida Walked Out Of The School.<p>

They Looked Around.

"No Sign Of Chris Anywhere..." Said Frida

"Fine By Me."

Manny Span his Belt Buckle And Became EL TIGRE.  
>He Grabbed Frida And Launched His Grappel Chain, Swinging Away.<p> 


	3. Friendship

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The MASK copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 03: a Friendship Forged

[Casa Del Mariachi]

The Door Opened And Chris And Zoe Walked Into The Manor.

"Now, You Kids Can Go On And Play...I`ll Have Dinner Ready, Soon."

"Don`t You Have Cooks Who can Do That Kind Of thing?" Asked Chris

"Yes.  
>But, I Like To Do The Cooking And Cleaning Myself...It Makes Me Feel Useful"<p>

"Oh."

Chris And Zoe Walked Off.

"Uh, Chris...You Mind If I Explore The Place a Bit?"

Chris Smiled.

"Sure, Go On Ahead...I have Something I Need To Do."

Chris Ran Off, While Zoe SNickered To Herself.  
>She Walked Off And Snuck Into Maria Rivera`s Room.<p>

She Walked Over And Saw a Metal Chest With Chains On It.  
>Zoe Walked Over To It And Picked The Locks On The Chains...<p>

She Soon Opened The Chest And Found a Silver Glove Inside.

"The Guantlet Of PLATA PELIGROSA!" Exclaimed Zoe

"With This...I`ll Finally Gain My Revenge On Manny And The Other Rivera Men!"

Zoe Began To Laugh.

"Zoe?"

Zoe Quickly Hid The Glove In Her Pocket She Turned To See Chris Walk Into The Room.

"What`s With All The Laughing?"

"I, Uhhhhh...Just Remembered a FUNNY JOKE!"

"Oh...  
>Well, Anyway...I Have Something For You."<p>

Zoe Eyed Him.

"Me?"

Chris Gave Zoe a Wrapped Up Package.  
>She Opened It...And Saw Small, Wooden Scupture Of a Falcon.<p>

Zoe Stared At It, So Awestruck By How Detailed It Was.

"It`s...IT`S BEAUTIFUL!"

Chris Blushed.

"Well, I Saw How Interested You Were In Birds In One Of Our Classes...  
>So, I Made You a Little Something In Art Class...Got An "A+" For It."<p>

"It`s Wonderful..."

Zoe Looked At Chris.

"But...Why Would You-"

"Well...You`ve Been So Nice To Me At School.  
>And, Aside From Maria...Your The ONLY ONE Whose Cared About Me Since I First Came To Miracle City"<p>

"I...(Gulp) AM?"

"Yes...  
>To tell You The Truth: Your The "Best Friend I`ve Ever Had"."<p>

Zoe Had a Blank Stare On her Face.

"not to mention the ONLY friend i`ve ever had...Besides My Dog, Anyway.

Zoe Snapped Back Into Reality And Looked AT Him.

"W-What Do You mean?"

Chris Looked At Zoe.

"Well...I`ve Been An Orphan Most Of My Life.  
>The Only friend I`ve Had Since Then Was My Dog: MAX...<br>Before That, I Was Just a Kid Living Alone On The Streets."

Zoe Looked At Chris With Wide Eyes.

"s-s-streets?"

Chris Nodded Then, He Looked Around.

"Say...What Are You Doing Here, Anyway?"

"OH!  
>J-Just...Admiring The Place, That`s All."<p>

Chris Looked AT her.

"Oh...OKAY."

Chris Began To Walked Away.  
>He Then Turned Back And Gave Zoe a Hug.<p>

"Thanks For Being My friend, Zoe..."

Chris Walked Off, Leaving Zoe Alone.

Zoe Was Just Standing In Silence.  
>She Reached Into her Pocket And Took Out The Silver Glove.<p>

She Looked At It...Then, Looked At The Wooden Falcon.

"best friend i`ve ever had..." Mutter Zoe To Herself

Zoe Sighed Sharply.  
>She Wanted Revenge Against Manny...But, She Wasn`t Sure If She COULD Hurt Chris.<br>Afterall...He Was Nothing But Nice To Her And Didn`t Even Have To Be.

And Here Zoe Was...Trying To use Him For Revenge.

Zoe Sighed Sharply...She Couldn`t Do It.  
>As Much As She Hated Manny, She Just Couldn`t Betray Her Friend For Revenge...<p>

Chris Was The Only REAL And TRUE Friend That She Ever Had.

Zoe Put The Glove Back Into The Metal Chest.  
>She Clutched The Wooden Falcon And Walked Away.<p>

"best friend...i`ve ever had."

[Later]

Chris And Zoe Were Eating Some Lunch While Watching Television.  
>Maria Was Currently Busy With Something Else, So Chris And Zoe Were Alone.<p>

"So...Chris.  
>Do You Remember ANYTHING About Your Real Parents?"<p>

Chris Sighed.

"no..."

"Nothing?  
>Not Even a Little Bit?<p>

"Uh-Uhh...  
>I Was Just a Baby When They Left Be At The Doorstep Of An Orphanage In New York.<p>

Zoe Looked At Him, a Little Surprised At this.

"Ohhhh...I See."

Chris Exhaled Deeply.

"I Wish I COULD Remember...Their FACES At Least.  
>But, I Don`t Know ANYTHING About My Real Family."<p>

Chris Sigehd Sadly.

"I Don`t Even Know Their Names...I had To Make Up My Own."

Zoe Sighed.

"I...I Know What That feels Like, Chris."

Chris Looked At Her.

"You Do?"

Zoe Nodded.

"My Dad Wasn`t Around When I Was Born...Mom Says He Died."

"Oh...I`m Sorry.

"It`s Okay."

Chris Sighed.

"Well...I Don`t Know If My Parents ARE Alive Or Not.  
>I Just Wish I Knew Why They Left My There All Those Years Ago...<br>Did They Love Me With All Their Hearts, But Couldn`t take Care Of Me?...  
>Or, Was I Just Some "Mistake" That They Wanted To Get Rid Of And Just DUMP ME, THERE."<p>

Zoe Looked At Chris And Saw The Pain In His Eyes.

"I`m Sure They Loved You...Your a Nice Person."

Chris Sighed.

"Yeah, I Know I`m Nice...I`m The Nicest Guy Around.  
>But, I Learned The Hard Way That "Being Nice Don`t Pay The Bills"!<br>I`ve Been Picked On And Pushed Around All My Life...Just Like Today."

Zoe Sighed.

"Nice Guys Like You Shouldn`t have BAD DAYS..."

"Yeah, Well...My Personal Life Is The Least Of My Worries."

Zoe Eyed Him.

"What Do You Mean?"

"Well...You Could Say It`s a "Family Issue".  
>Maria Obviously Loves Me...And Her Ex-Husband And His Father Like Me, Too.<br>But...I Don`t Think My New Brother, Manny Likes Me All That Much."

Zoe`s Eyes Narrowed.

"If He Doesn`t, That`s HIS PROBLEM..."

Chris Looked AT Zoe.

"Do You think Manny Will EVER Accept Me Into His Family?"

Zoe Sighed As She Thought a Bit.

"Chris...I`m Not All That Sure.  
>My History With Manny Isn`t Really Good...<br>But, What I Do Know Is This: Your Part Of HIS FAMILY, Now...  
>And, Like It Or Not...He`s Going To have To Deal With that Someday."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks, Zoe.

Zoe Smiled.

"Your Welcome."

[a Few Days Later]

Zoe Aves Was Walking Down The Street...When She Saw Chris Sitting By Himself.

Curious, She Walked Over To Him.

"Chris...Why Are You All By Yourself?"

"Manny Was Suppose To Show Me Around The City Today...I`ve Been Waiting For HOURS."

Chris Sighed.

"i guess he forgot, or something..."

Zoe Frowned.

"yeah...Or "Something".

Chris Got Up.

"Guess I Have No Choice But To GO HOME."

Zoe Looked At Him, Then Got An Idea.

"Hey!  
>I have a Better Idea...Why Don`t I Take You Around The City?"<p>

Chris Looked At Her.

"You Will?"

"SURE!  
>I`m Not Doing Anything Important Right Now."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"Gee...Thanks, Zoe."

Zoe And Chris Walked Off Into The City.

The First Place They Went To Was a Local Shopping Mall...Where Zoe Tried On Hats And Chris Watched Her.  
>Later, They Went To The Park Where They Fed Some Birds Some Bread Crumbs And Enjoyed The Peace And Quiet.<p>

They Explored UPTOWN To DOWNTOWN...  
>Until They Reached Their Final Destination: The MAYAN ARCADE.<p>

Chris And Zoe Looked At The Large Building.

"So, THIS Is Where All The Other Kids Go After School..."

"Oh, Sure...Even I Come Here Sometimes."

Chris And Zoe Walked Inside.  
>They Found a Room Full Of Electronic Devices And Such.<p>

Manny Kids, Pre-Teens And Teenagers Were Playing On The Videogames.

"COOL!" Said Chris

Chris Looked Around...Then, Spotted Something He Liked.

"OOO!  
>I Like This One!"<p>

Chris Ran Over To a Videogame Entitled: "Woody Woodpecky 2000!"

"You Like THIS ONE?" Asked Zoe

"Sure!  
>I Always Did Like Cartoons As a Kid..."<p>

Chris And Zoe Played The Game Awhile, And Soon...

"WHOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  
>I WON!, I WON!"<p>

The Screen Showed The Highscore.

Zoe Smiled.

"Good Job...Your Pretty Good At this."

"If There Is One Thing I`m Good At, Z...It`s How To Hit Head With a Large Mallet."

Zoe Smiled At Chris Just Then, They Heard a Noise.

Chris And Zoe Walked Over And Saw Manny And Frida Playing Some Videogames.

Chris Was None-The-Less...SHOCKED.

"Wow...So, That`s Where They Were." Said Chris, a Litte Sad

Zoe Glared At Manny And Frida, She Then Looked Back At Chris.

She Then Took His Hand Firmly.

"Come One, Chris...Let`s Go."

Zoe Lead Chris Out Of The Arcade.  
>Once Outside, They Stood Outside At The Curb.<p>

"Chris...I`m So Sorry."

Chris Sighed.

"it doesn`t matter..." Said Chris

"I Don`t Blame Them For Avoiding Me...I Guess I Am "Weird"."

Zoe Sighed Sharply.

"Chris, Your Not WEIRD."

Chris Looked At Her.

"If I`m Not Weird, Then WHAT AM I?"

Zoe Thought a Bit.

"Your...UNIQUE.  
>Yes, Your Unique...And, Unique Is GOOD."<p>

"Really?"

"Yes...I`m Sure.

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks, Zoey..."

Chris Looked Around.

"So...Now What Do We Do?"

Zoe Thought a Bit.

"Well...How About I Take You to See MY FAMILY?"

Chris Looked At Her.

"Your Family?...You Think They`ll Mind?

"Oh, Sure...Not One Bit."

Chris Thought a Bit.

"Okay, Then..."

"GREAT!, I`ll Call Them Real Quick."

Zoe Took Out Her Celphone And Dialed a Number.

CLICK!

"Hello? Said a Voice

"Hi, Mom...I-"

"MIJA!  
>Why haven`t You Been Answering The Wrist Communi-"<p>

"Mom, I Bringing Over a Friend For Dinner."

"A FRIEND!  
>What Kind Of Friend?"<p>

"Maria Rivera`s Son."

"RIVERA!"

"Can He Come?"

There Was Silence.

"Of Course, Sweetey..."

"Thanks."

CLICK!

Zoe Walked Up To Chris.

"Okay, Let`s Go!"

Chris Smiled.

"Okay."

Chris And Zoe Walked Down The Street.

[Later, At The Aves House]

The Door Opened Where a Young Woman With Short, Black Hair And, a Short Older Woman With WHite Hair Tied Up Into a Bun Greeted Zoe And Chris.

"Greeting, !"

Carmelita Aves And Nana Aves Shrieked Upon Seeing Chris, Who Waved At her.

"Hi..."

Chris And Zoe Walked Inside The House.  
>Zoe`s Mother And Grandmother Stared At the Boy.<p>

"You a Rivera?" Said Nana Aves In Confusion

Chris Nodded.

"Uh-Huh..."

"But...You Don`t Look Anything Like a Rivera!"

"That`s Because I Was Adopted By Maria Rivera...I`m Actually From New York City."

Carmelita And Nana Aves Had Eyes Like Saucer Plates.

"NEW YORK CITY!" Exclaimed The Women Loudly

"So, Is Dinner Ready?

"Yes."  
>"NO!"<p>

Carmelita Ran Off.

"Uhhhh...I`ll Go Check On Her."

Zoe Walked Off, leaving Chris Alone With Nana Aves.  
>The Old Woman With a Cane Just Looked At Him.<p>

"So...You From-a The United States Of-a America?"

"Yep." Said Chris

"That Nice..."

[Meanwhile, In the Kitchen]

Carmelita Aves Was Dumping Some Gross Looking Food Down The Trash.

"What Are You Doing?" Asked Zoe

"Throwing Away The Hazardous Food...I Thought You Were Bringing That El Tigre Boy!"

"MOTHER!"

"Now, Go Entertain Your Friend...I Have To Cook Some GOOD FOOD."

Zoe Huffed As She Left.  
>She Saw Chris Sitting Down, Talking To her Grandmother.<p>

"And, When I Grow Up...I Want To Be a CARTOONIST."

Nana Aves Smiled.

"That Sounds Impressive..."

Zoe Walked Up To Them.

"Hey, Chris...Your Gonna Have To Wait Awhile For Dinner."

"No Problem...I Can Wait."

Nana Aves Got Up.

"I Go Help..."

Nana Stopped For a Second.

"i like him, he a good boy.  
>you can go on the dates with him, ANYTIME." Whispered Nana Aves To Zoe<p>

"NANA!"

The Old Woman Left.

"Your Grandma Is Nice." Said Chris

Zoe Chuckled.

"Sometimes..."

Zoe Sat Down With Chris.

"So...I Overheard You Want To Be a CARTOONIST."

"Yes...I think I Have Potental."

Chris Grabbed a Pen And Paper.  
>He Did a Doodle And Showed It To Zoe.<p>

Zoe Looked At It: It Was a Picture Of HERSELF As a Cartoon.

"WOW...This Is Good."

"You Think?"

"OH, YES!  
>You have Quite Some talent..."<p>

"Good To hear Someone Say That...Besides Mom That Is."

Zoe Smiled.

"Chris...I Am Sorry About What Happened Earlier."

Chris Looked At Zoe.

"Oh, Don`t Worry About It...i`m fine."

The Sound In Chris`s Voice Didn`t Fool Zoe.

"Chris...It`s Okay For You To Be a Little Bit Upset."

Chris Sighed.

"Okay, Fine.  
>I Guess I Am a Little Bit Mad...But, I`m Not The "Vengful" Type."<p>

Zoe Sighed.

"Well...If You Ever Need Anything, You Know That I`ll Always Be There For You."

Chris Smiled

"I Know, Zoey...I Can Always Count On You For ANYTHING."

Zoe Blushed.  
>At That Moment, Carmelita Aves Called Out.<p>

"DINNER IS READY!"

[Later]

The Aves Family And Chris Were At The Dinner Table, Enjoying The Food.

"So, Chris...How Do You Like Living In Miracle City?" Asked Carmelita

Chris Thought a Bit.

"Well...At First, I Wasn`t Too Sure About It.  
>Seemed Like Life Here Would Of Been The Same As New York.<br>But, After Maria Rivera Adopted Me And Zoe Became My Best Friend...I`d Say I`m Doing Alright.

Carmelita Looked At Him.

"CHRIS JOHNSON, Now I remember You...  
>Your The Boy Who Made That Falcon Scupture In Art Class."<p>

Chris Nodded.

"Yeah, I Did...It Was a Present For Zoey."

Zoe Blushed, Then Chuckled.

"Well, You Have Some Talent...You Could Be One Of My BEST STUDENTS."

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks."

Chris Looked Around And Saw Many Bird Artifacts.

"I guess You Guys Are BIRD LOVERS?"

Carmelita Sweated a Little.

"Uhhhhh...Y-Yeah, We Are.  
>C-Can`t Get Enough Of Birds, WE JUST LOVE EM!"<p>

"Well, I Like All Kinds Of Animals..."

Nana Aves Eyed Him.

"Really...And, What About CATS?"

"Cats?"

"Yeah...Like Panthers, Pumas And TIGERS!" Said Nana Aves, Looking a Little Crazy

Chris Eyed Her.

"I`m More Of a Dog Person.

Nana Aves Expression Become "Normal" Again.

"Oh...i see."

Zoe Slapped Her Face In Aggravation.  
>Carmelita Sighed Sharply, Then Continued To Speak.<p>

"Chris, How Is It Like Living With Maria?"

"Oh, It`s Great!  
>I`ve Gone From Living In An Old Cardboard Box In a Dark Alley...To Living In a MANSION On The Hill."<p>

Carmelita And Nana Aves Were Awestruck.

"You...Lived On The Streets?"

"Well, Not Anymore...  
>I Did Since I Was Twelve, But That`s All Changed."<p>

"Oh...i see." Said Carmelita, Feeling Sorry For Chris

"Anyway...Maria Is The Nicest Person Around.  
>she Never Misses a Chance To Show Me How Much She Loves Me And I Appretiate It."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"It`s...Nice To Have a Mom.  
>Though, I Kinda Wish I had One When I Was Born."<p>

"Born?  
>You Mean You never Knew Your Real Parents?<p>

Chris Shook His Head.

"No...I Was Left At The Doorstep Of An Orphanage When I Was a Baby.  
>I Guess My Real Parents Left Me There And Took Off On Their Own..."<p>

Chris Sighed a Little.

"Though...I Wish I Knew Who They Were And Who I AM.  
>The Caretakers Said They Must Of been Teenagers Who Couldn`t Take Care Of Me...<br>But, Other Kids Said They Just Didn`t Want Me And Left Me There To get Rid Of Me."

Carmelita Looked At Chris, Her Eyes Teary.

"I`m Sure They Cared For You, Chris..." Said Carmelita, Her Voice Soft And Loving

Chris Smiled.

"Anyway...Mom Said You And Her Are Friends."

Carmelita Snapped Out Of her Trance.

"Uhhhhh...YEAH!, We Are.  
>We`re...GOOD FRIENDS, Have Lunch Together All The Time!"<p>

"Hey, That`s Good!  
>Now Me And Zoe Will Have Something In Common: Parents Who Are Friends."<p>

Zoe Smiled.

"Speaking Of Maria...  
>Has She Brought You Over To See Pante-, I mean Rudolfo Rivera?"<p>

"Her Ex?  
>Sure...WHy Do You Ask?"<p>

"Well...How Do You Like Him And His Family?"

Chris Shrugged His Shoulders.

"I Don`t Want To be Mean...But, Rudolfo Is Kind Of a "Scatterbrained Idiot"."

Carmelita Chuckled.

"I Know...(Chuckle), We Used To Date In High School."

"You Did?

"Yes...But, I Broke Up With Him."

Nana Aves Eyed Her.

"Uhhhhh...He Broke Up With You."

"AS IF I COULD FORGEEEEEEEEEEET!" Shouted Carmelita

Chris Eyed The Woman.

"Uhhhhh...So Sorry.  
>Sometimes I get a Tad "Emotional". Said Carmelita<p>

She Smiled Nervously.

"Please Continue..."

Chris Cleared His Throat.

"Well, Anyway...  
>Rudolfo Is a Little Crazy, And That Old Guy In The Metal Sombrero Is Pretty Nuts, Too-"<p>

Nana Aves Smiled.

"Oh, Don`t I Know It..."

"What About Manny Rivera?" Asked Carmelita

"Manny?"

"Yes, Manny...Your Brother.  
>The Kid Who Broke My daughters Heart-"<p>

Zoe Gave Her Mother An "IX-NAY" Expression.  
>Chris Looked At Zoe, Who Just Smiled Nervously.<p>

"You never Told Me That You And Manny used To Date..."

Zoe Sighed.

"It Was a Long Time Ago...I`m Over Him, Now."

Chris Sighed.

"Well, Anyway...  
>I Have Tried To be a Good Brother To Manny, But I Don`t Think He Likes Me."<p>

"How DO You Feel About Him?" Asked Carmelita

Chris Thought Awhile.

"I...Don`t Really Know.  
>I Want Us To Be Friends, But He And Frida Are Always Avoiding Me..."<p>

Chris Sighed Holding His Head In Stress.

"i just don`t know..."

Carmelita Sighed.

"Well...Your a Good Kid, Chris.  
>My Daughter Doesn`t Have Many Friends And I Think Your a Special Boy."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks, Miss Aves."

Carmelita Smiled.

[Later, At The Casa Del Macho]

Manny And Frida Walked In the Door, Laughing.

"MAN, WHAT A DAY!" Said Manny

"Dude!, We Must Of Played That Game TEN HOURS STRAIGHT!"

Just Then, The Two Teens Were Met By a Very Stern Looking Rudolfo And Grandpapi.

"MANUEL PABLO GUTIERREZ O`BRIEN EQUIHUA RIVERA!" Shouted Rudolfo

"WHAT I DO!, WHAT I DO!" Exclaimed Manny

It Was At That Moment, That Rudolfo And Grandpapi Stepped Aside...And Maria Rivera Approached Manny.

"Manny...Where Is Your Brother?" Asked Maria Very Sternly

"Uhhhhhhhhh..."

"You Were Suppose To Show Him Around The City, Today...Where Is He?"

Manny Twiddled His Fingers.

"Oh, RIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!  
>That`s What We Were Forgetting To Do!" Said Frida<p>

"FORGET!" Exclaimed Maria

Manny Glared At Frida, Who Covered Her Mouth In Shock.

"Just Where Were You Two At All Day!"

Manny Looked AT His ANgry Mother.

"The...Mayan Arcade?"

Maria`s Face Turned Red.  
>She Then Starting Yelling Out Angrily In Spanish.<p>

Then, She Started Hyperventilating.

"MARIA!"

Rudolfo Handed His EX-Wife a Paper Bag.  
>She Breathed In It, But Tried To Speak Never The Less.<p>

"My (Gasp)...Son Is (Gasp)... Lost Somewhere (Gasp)... IN THE CITY!  
>HE COULD BE (Gasp)...HURT BADLY! (Gasp)...OR DEAD! (Gasp) OR WORSE!"<p>

"RIGHT!  
>I Shall Organize a Search Party!" Said Rudolfo<p>

He Approached Maria.

"Maria, My Dear...  
>I Shall Not Rest Until Chris Is Safely Home Once Again, THIS I SWEA-"<p>

Just Then, Rudolfo`s Celphone Rang.  
>He Reached Into his Pocket And Held It At His Ear.<p>

"Helloooooooooooo..." Said Rudolfo, In a High Voice

After a Few Minutes Of Listening To Someone, He Hung Up The Phone.

"Well?" Asked Grandpapi

"That Was Chris...He Said He Is Fine And, He Is Wondering When Maria Will Be Home To Unlock The Door Since He Lost His Key."

Maria Finally Calmed Down Enough To Talk.

"DID HE SAY WHERE HE WAS!"

"He just Said He Was With a Friend."

Maria Sighed With Relief.

"Thank God..."

Maria Turned To Leave.  
>Manny SMiled Sheepishly.<p>

"Goodbye, Mo-

"Your Grounded, Manny." Said Maria Sternly

The Door Slammed Shut.  
>Rudolfo And Grandpapi Eyed Him.<p>

"Well, See Ya!"

Frida Ran Out The Door, Leaving Manny Alone.

"Uhhhh-

"NO TV OR VIDEOGAMES FOR A MONTH!" Said Rudolfo

"BUT-BUT, DAD!"

"NO "BUTS"!  
>Manny, Whether You Like It Or Not, You have a Responsibility To Your New Brother...<br>And, Until You Learn That Your Every Action Has Coniquences...Your Gonna Have To be Punished!"

"Eh, For Once...I Agree With Rudolfo." Said Grandpapi

"Family ALWAYS Come First Above Ones Own Personal Needs."

Manny Growled.

"BUT, HE ISN`T FAMILY!" Shouted Manny

"He`s Just Some Loser Kid That Mom Felt Sorry For!  
>He Isn`t a REAL RIVERA!, HE`S NOt EVEN MEXICAN!<p>

"Mexican Or American, He`s Part Of OUR FAMILY NOW!  
>And, There Is More To a Family Than Just "Blood", Manny..."<p>

Rudolfo then Pointed To teh Stairs.

"Now, GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

Manny Grumbled As He Marched Up The Stairs He Slammed The door Shut, While Rudolfo And Grandpapi Sighed.

"What Am I Gonna Do With That Boy!

"I Still Say You Should Spank-a Him.


	4. Chris and Zoe, the NEW Dynamic Duo

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 04: Chris And Zoe, The NEW Dynamic Duo

[Casa Del Maria, 5:48AM]

Chris Was Sleeping In His Bed...But, Was Tossing And Turning Under The Covers Chris Moaned As He Suffered Horrible, Nightmarish Visions: The Memories Of His "Unhappy" Childhood.

-{Dream}-

The Rained Poured Down On The Streets Of Queens, New York...  
>The Clouds Were Gray And Hardly a Soul Was Out In This Weather.<p>

Then, From Out Of The Shadows...Came a Teenaged Girl In a Trenchcoat.  
>Her Face Was Hidden And She Was Carrying What Looked Like a Basket.<p>

The Girl Walked Up To The Doorstep Of The "Martin Daniels Orphanage" And Layed The Basket Down.  
>She Knocked On The Door Rapidly, Then Ran Off As Fast At She Possibly Could.<p>

The door Opened And a Woman Looked Out.  
>She Eventulally Saw The Basket On the Door Step.<p>

The Woman Bent Down And Looked Inside...  
>And, There Was An Infant Baby With Brown Hair Under the Blanket.<p>

She Quickly Picked The baby Up...Then, Looked Around.  
>She Saw No One, So...She Walked Back Inside The Building, Shutting The Door Behind Her.<p>

[Three Years Later]

a Three Year Old Chris Walked Over To Some Other Kids.

"Hey, Guys...Can I Play?"

"NO WAY!  
>We Don`t Wanna Play With a Loser Like You!"<p>

One Of The Kids Throws a Ball At Chris, Which Hits Him In The Head.  
>Chris Falls Backwards And Lays On the Ground As Kids Laugh And Tease At Him.<p>

[Three Years Later]

a Six Year Old Chris Stands With Some Other Kids, Who Are Getting ready For Adoption.  
>Several Adults Walked In And Pick Out The Children One By One...<p>

Sadly, Chris Was One Of a Few That Didn`t Get Picked...Just Like ALWAYS.

"Oh, I`m Sorry, Chris...  
>But, Look At It THIS WAY: At Least You`ll Spend Another Year Here At The MARTIN DANIELS ORPHANAGE!"<p>

Chris Sighed As He Sat Down On a Bed.  
>The caretaker Walked Away...Once Gone, Some Other Kids Walked Into The Room.<p>

"Didn`t Get Adopted Again, Eh?"

Chris Was Silent.

"Just Face The Facts, Chris...YOU`LL NEVER GET A FAMILY!  
>Afterall, Your Own Parents Didn`t Want You...So, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT A LOSER LIKE YOU!"<p>

The Kid Walked Off, Laughing.  
>Chris Shed Some Silent Tears As Layed On The Bed.<p>

[Three Years Later]

Chris Snuck Up In a Dark Hallway And Looked Through The Crack Of a Door.  
>He Saw One Of The caretakers Talking To The Grandmaster Of The Orphanage.<p>

"In All My Years, I have NEVER Seen One Kid Spend SO LONG In This Place!" Said The Grandmaster

"I Assure You, Mister Anderson...Chris WILL Get Adopted!  
>We Just haven`t Found The Right People For Him, Give It Some Times.<p>

"TIME!, HE`S HAD ALL THE TIME HE NEEDED!  
>The Boy is NINE YEARS OLD!, And He`s Been Here Since He Was An Infant."<p>

"Please, Sir...Give Us MORE TIME!"

The Man Sighed.

"Very Well, Ms. Belle...  
>Legally, I Can`t Take The Boy Away Until He Reaches The Proper Age Of THIRTEEN.<br>Since He Has FOUR YEARS LEFT Until That Time, You Have Until THEN To get Him Adopted...  
>And, If He Doesn`t have a family By Then...I Will Have NO CHOICE But To Put Him In a FOSTER HOME."<p>

Chris Gasped At This.  
>The Caretaker Sighed Sharply.<p>

"I Understand, Sir..."

"Good.

Chris Snuck Away.

[Three Years Later]

a Twelve Year Old Chris Pryed Open a Window And Snuck Out Of the Orphanage.  
>He Quickly Ran Into The Streets And Ducked Into a Dark Alley.<p>

He Sighed As He Flopped Down, Crying To Himself...  
>At That Moment...He Felt Something Lick His Hand.<p>

Chris Looked To See a Jack Russle Terrier Puppy Licking Him.  
>The Puppy Was Obviously a Stray And Chris Picked Him Up.<p>

"Hey, Little Guy...You Like Me Don`t You?"

The Puppy Licked Chris`s Face.

"Yeah, You Know How I feel...Nobody Wants Us.  
>Well...At LEast We Have Each Other, Huh?<p>

The Puppy Barked.  
>Chris Petted Him.<p>

"I Think I`ll Call You...MAX."

Chris Hugged The Puppy Dog.

[One Year Later]

a Thirteen Year Old Chris Walked Through Central Park At Night With His Dog Max.

"I tell Ya, Max...My Life Sucks."

Max Eyed Him.

"I Need Food To Live, But I Need Money For That.  
>I need a Job To get Money, But Nobody Will Give Me One...And Those That Do, Usually Fire Me.<p>

Chris Looked Up To See a Green Streak Of Light In The Sky.

"HEY, A SHOOTING STAR!"

Max Barked Loudly.

"They Say If You Make a Wish On a Shooting Star...It`ll Come True!"

Chris SHrugged His Shoulders.

"Aw, What The Heck!  
>I`ve Tried Everything Else, What Harm Could a Wish Do?"<p>

Chris Closed His Eyes And Made a Wish.

"i wish...that my luck would change."

Chris Opened His Eyes...And Saw The Green Streak Of Light Headed Towards Him.

"Oh...Not Good."

Chris Grabbed Max And Ran For It.  
>They Jumped For Cover As The Shooting Star Crashed To The Ground.<p>

From Behind a Tree, Chris And Max Looked Over At a Crater.  
>They Approached The Green Smoke...And Saw What Looked Like a Metal Chest Witha Viking Symbol On It.<p>

Chris Put Max Down, Then Walked Over To The Chest.  
>He Slowly Opened The Lid And Saw What Was Inside: a Green, Wooden Mask With An "L" Branded On It.<p>

Chris Reached Over And Grabbed The Mask.  
>He Looked At It And Saw That It Was Sparking With Green Electros.<p>

"weird..."

He Looked Behind It, And Saw a Green Shimmering.  
>Curious, Brought It Closer To His Face...Closer And Closer, Then-<p>

-{End Of Dream}-

!

Chris Was Woken Up From His Dream By The Alarm Of His Clock.

"CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!  
>GET UP!, IT`S TIME FOR SCHOOL!" Shouted Maria<p>

Chris Grumbled As He Got Up.  
>He Walked Over To His Closet To Put On Some Clothes.<p>

As He Opened The door...And Glanced Over At His Green, Wooden Mask.  
>He Shuddered As He Grabbed Some Clothes And Shut The Door Behind Him.<p>

"Never Again..." Said Chris

Chris Quickly Got Dressed And Grabbed His Backpack.  
>He Walked Out The Door And SHut It Behind Him.<p>

[Later, At School]

Chris Walked Down The Hall, Where He Saw Manny And Frida.

"HEY, MANNY!"

Manny And Frida Looked Over At Him.

"oh, great...HIM."

Frida Waved At Chris.

"HEY-YA!"

Chris Ran Up To Them.

"Hey, Manny...I need To Talk To You."

Manny Shut His Locker.

"Sorry, Can`t...I`m TOO BUSY."

Manny Walked Away, But Chris Followed Him.

"It`s Really Important, Manny...  
>I Heard That you Got Grounded, And I Wanted To Say "I`m Sorry".<br>And, I Was Wondering If We Could Do Something Later, Since Yo-"

"No."

"Oh, Okay...  
>Then, Maybe Lat-"<p>

Manny Suddenly Lost It.  
>He Turned And Glared At Chris.<p>

"DON`T YOU GET IT, YET!  
>When I Say "No", I Don`t Mean "Not Right Now", I Mean: "NEVER"!"<p>

Chris Was Frozen As Manny Yelled At Him Pretty Soon, Everyone In the Halls Were Looking AT Him.

"Manny, What`s the Matter?  
>What Did I Do!"<p>

"WHAT DID YOU DO!  
>How About When You Butted Into My Life And Took My FAMILY From Me!<br>Mom Spends All The Time She Had With ME On YOU, And Now Even My FATHER AND GRANDPAPI Like You Better!"

"Manny, I Didn`t Mean To-"

Manny Grabbed Chris By His Shirt.

"Get Something Straight, Gringo...  
>You Are NOT a Rivera! And You never Will Be a Rivera!<br>Your Just Some Loser Kid That My Mother Took Pity On How Pathetic You Were!  
>And, More Importantly: YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER!, SO STOP PRETENDING TO BE!"<p>

Manny Shoved Chris Into a Locker, Which Opened And Poured Junk On Him.  
>All The Kids Laughed Out Loud At Him, While Manny Just Marched Away In Anger.<p>

Frida Watched As Chris Got Up And Ran Away In Tears.  
>She Then Ran Up To Manny, Who Was Still Fuming.<p>

"Don`t You Think That Was a Little Bit TOO HARSH?"

"Since When Do You care?"

"Well, Chris May Be a Loser...  
>But, Even He Doesn`t Deserve Something Like That!"<p>

Manny Huffed.

"Whatever..."

Manny Marched Off.

Meanwhile, Zoe Aves Was Hidden In The Shadows.  
>She Sadly Watched As Chris Walked Off, Feeling Hurt And Being Mocked By Other Kids.<p>

Zoe Then Looked Over At Manny And Frida...And Glared At Them With Anger.

"vendettaaaaaaaaaaa..." Muttered Zoe, With Venom In Her Voice

[Later, After School]

Manny And Frida Walked Out The School.  
>Suddenly, They Were Knocked Back By a Laser Blast.<p>

They Looked Up To See a Teenager Girl Dressed In a Black Body Suit With Black And Purple Wings Connected To a Jetpack And Wearing a Helmet With a Purple, Beak-Like Visor.

"BLACK CUERVO!"

"Hello, EL TIGRE...  
>I`m Here To CRUSH YOU!...Is This a Bad time?"<p>

Manny Spun His "T" Belt Buckle And In a Green Flash, Wore a Black Body Suit With a Brown Cowl, Red Scarf And Tiger Tail.  
>He Extended The Metal Claws On His Gauntlet And Roared Like a Tiger.<p>

"EL TIGREEEEEEEEEEE!"

Tigre Approached Cuervo.

"What Do You Want, Cuervo?" Exclaimed Tigre

"Oh, Let`s Just Say...You Offended One Of My Closest Friends."

Tigre Thought a Bit.

"Dr. Chipotle?"

Cuervo Eyed Tigre.

"no.

"Senior Siniestro?"

"no."

"Uhhhhhh...Djengo?

"NO!"

Tigre Tapped His Foot.

"Okay, I`ve Got It!: The Golden Eagle Twins."

Cuervo Slapped Her face.

"oh, for the love of-, NO!"

Tigre Sighed.

"Okay, I Give Up...Who Was It?"

Cuervo Chuckled Evily.

"HA!  
>Like I`d Tell You..."<p>

Cuervo Fired Her Laser At Tigre, Who Dodged It And Shot His Grappel Punch.  
>Cuervo Grabbed The Chain In Mid-Air And Activated The TURBO On Her Jetpack`s Thrusters.<p>

"Let`s Go For a Ride..."

Cuervo Flew Up Into The Air And Carried Tigre Up With Her.  
>She Began To Fly In CRAZY Formations: Curved, Corkscrew, Long Dives, Tailspins, Ect.<p>

She Then Stopped And Hovered Into The Air.  
>She Began To Swing Tigre Around And Around, Then Tossed Tigre Into a Wall.<p>

"Oooooo...That`s GOTTA HURT." Said Frida

Tigre Fell To The Ground, While Cuervo Just Laughed At Him.

Just Then, Chris Walked Out...  
>He Was So Caught Up In His Depression, That He Didn`t Notice What Was Going On.<p>

As He Walked, The Building That Tigre Was Knocked Into Began To Crack.  
>a Large Chunk Of The Roof Broke Off And Fell...Right Towards Chris.<p>

Chris Looked Up...Then, Screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!  
>Cuervo Was In Shock And Horror.<p>

"CHRIS!, NO!"

Cuervo Flew Towards Chris Was Full Speed.  
>She Caught Chris Just As The Debre Fell And Flew Him To Safety.<p>

Chris Looked Over, Then Looked AT Cuervo.

"You...YOU SAVED ME!"

Cuervo Blushed.

"Y-Yeah...I guess I Did."

Chris Gave Cuervo a Kiss On The Cheek.  
>Cuervo Blushed Bright Red, Then She Layed Him back Down On the Ground.<p>

Cuervo Looked Back At Tigre, Who Was Still Dizzy...She Huffed Sharply.

(("i`d better get outta here before somebody gets hurt!"))

Cuervo Extended Her Wings And Activated Her Jet Thrusters She Flew Away And Disappeared Into The Distance...Leaving Chris Alone.

"DUDE!  
>Black Cuervo Totally Saved Your Hide!" Said a Kid<p>

"Yeah!, She Must Like You or Something." Said Another Kid

Chris Blushed a Little.

"Gee, Thanks..."

Frida Helped El Tigre Up.

"I Wonder Why Cuervo Saved Chris Back There...  
>Not To mention Just Leave When She Clearly Had You!"<p>

Tigre Flopped Down On The Ground.

"Right...I`d Better Take You To The Hospital."

Frida Picked Tigre Up And Carried Him Away.

Meanwhile, Chris Walked Away From The Other Kids.  
>Then, He Saw Zoe Run Up To Him...a Little Out Of Breath.<p>

"Hey, C-Chris..." Said Zoe, Breathing Heavily

Chris Walked Up To Her.

"Hey, Z...  
>Why Are You So Out Of Breath?"<p>

"B-Been Jogging..."

"Oh."

Zoe Then Started Breathing Normally.

"Chris...  
>I Saw What Manny Did...I`m Sorry."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"yeah...i guess."

Zoe Sighed.

"You, Uhhhh...Wanna Do Something?"

"Like What?"

"Oh...ANYTHING."

Chris Thought For Awhile.

"Well...  
>I Guess I Don`t have Anything Better To Do...not anymore, anyway."<p>

Chris Then Smiled.

"Okay...Let`s Go."

Over The Next Several Hours, Chris And Zoe Had Themselves a Little Fun.

[The Carnival]

"I`m Not Sure About This, Zoey!" Said Chris, Holding a Rifle At The Shooting Gallery

"Just Give It a Try, Chris!"

Chris Sighed.  
>He Held Up The Gun, Aimed At The Targets And Fired.<p>

POW!

"OWWWWWWWWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed a Man

"SORRY, SIR!" Shouted Chris At a Man

Chris Looked AT ZOe.

"I Can`t Do IT!"

"Just Pretend The Target Is Someone You Don`t Like...Like FRIDA SUARE-"

Zoe Stopped In Mid-Sentence.

"Or, Manny..."

Chris Sighed.  
>He Aimed His Gun And Pretended The Target Was Manny`s Face.<p>

POW!

"CONGRADULATIONS!  
>You Win First Prize!" Said The Man Who Chris Originally Shot<p>

"B-But, Only Hit It On The Side."

The Man Shoved An El Tigre Doll In His Hands.

"i don`t care...Just Leave, You Pain In My $$!"

"Sorry About That, Sir."

Chris And Zoe Soon Left.

"Well, What Do We Do Now?" Asked Chris

Zoe Smiled.

[Later, Atop The Miracle City Volcano]

Chris And Zoe Were In a Shopping Cart Pointed Towards The City.

"Are You Sure About This, Zoe?  
>This Whole Things Seems-"<p>

"Exciting?" Said Zoe

Chris Eyed His Friend.

"I Was Gonna Say: "Stupid And Idiotic"

"Well, Relax...Manny And Frida Do this ALL THE TIME!"

"(Gulp!)...oh, joy."

Zoe Moved The Cart Closer To The Steep Hill.

"READY!"

"no."

"OKAY, LET`S GO!"

Zoe Pushed The Cart Forward And They Raced Down The Hill.

"!  
>"!<p>

The Cart Raced Down The Hill And Into The Street.  
>Zoe Steered The Cart, Narrowly Avoiding The Passing Cars And Crashing Into Random Stuff.<p>

"MANNY!" Shouted a Man

"FRIDA!" Shouted a Woman

"NOT MANNY AND FRIDA!" Called Back Zoe

The Cart Zoomed AT Full Speed Into a Freeway They Soon Approached a Road That Ended In a Long Drop.

"LOOK OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUT!" Shouted Chris

The Cart Crashed Through The "DEAD END" Sign And Fell Through The Air.

Chris And Zoe Held Onto Each Other As They Screamed.  
>They Fell Into a Passing Gargage Truck, Which Took Them To the City Dump.<p>

As They Layed Motionless On The Pile Of Trash...Zoe Laughed Out Loud.

"I Can`t Believe We Survived That!"

Chris Had a Blank Stare On His Face.

"oh...my gosh.  
>THAT WAS THE MOST AWESOME THING I HAVE EVER DONE!"<p>

Zoe Smiled.  
>The Two friend Just Sat Up, Looking At The Sky.<p>

"Boy, We`ve Had Quite An Exciting Day..." Said Chris

"Yeah...And, It Ain`t Over, Yet." Said Zoe

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks For Cheering Me Up, Zoey...i needed it."

Chris Sighed As He Bended His Knees, Holding Them With His Arms.  
>Zoe Could See Some Tears Forming In His Eyes...And Scooted Over To Him.<p>

"Chris?...You Okay?"

Chris Inhaled, Then Exhaled.

"No...I`m Not Okay.  
>I Tried So Hard, But Nothing I Do Really Matters...Manny Hates Me And Will Never Accept Me!"<p>

Chris Sobbed a Little.

"Chris..."

"I Feel Like An Outcast.  
>I`ve Tried So Hard, But I Don`t Think I`ll EVER BELONG..."<p>

Zoe Narrowed Her Eyes.

"That Isn`t True...Not Fully.  
>Sure, Your Different...But You DO Belong."<p>

Chris Looked At Her.

"Oh, Yeah?  
>Name One Place Here That I Belong In."<p>

Zoe Moved Closer To Chris.

"Right Here...With ME."

Chris Looked Into Zoe`s Eyes, Then Smiled...Blushing a Bit.

"You Really Mean That?"

Zoe Nodded.

"I Do."

Chris Smiled.

"Gee, Thanks..."

Chris Sighed Happily.

"Oh, I Almost Forgot To Tell You, Zoe...I Met Someone Today At School."

"Really?, Who?"

"The BLACK CUERVO."

Zoe Sweated a Little.

"Y-You D-D-DID!"

"Yep!  
>She Saved My Life At School..."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"She Was SO PRETTY..."

"Pretty?"

"Yeah.  
>Now, I Know This May Sound Childish, But...I Think I Might Be In Love."<p>

Zoe Had a Surprised Expression On Her Face.

"L-LOVE!  
>With The ME-, I, Uhhh...Mean: The BLACK CUERVO?"<p>

Chris Nodded.

"Yeah, I Am.  
>And, I think She May Like Me...What Do You think, Zoe?<p>

Zoe Twiddled her Fingers.

"I, uhhhh...I`m-"

Chris Looked At Zoe With Hopful Eyes.  
>Zoe Sighed Sharply, Not Wanting To Hurt Chris`s Feelings Anymore Than He Already Was.<p>

"I`m Sure She Likes You..."

"REALLY!  
>THAT`S GREAT!, Maybe I Can Ask Her On a Date Or Something.<p>

"D-DATE!"

"I If I Could Get Her Phone Number..."

"CHRIS!, Don`t You Think You Rushing Into This a Little Bit!"

Chris Looked At Zoe.

"Oooh, I Guess Your Right..."

"whew!"

"I`ll Write Her a Love Letter."

"CHRIS!  
>I`m Not Sure If This Is a Good Idea!<br>I mean...Cuervo is a SUPERVILLAIN, SHE IS EVIL!"

Chris Laughed.

"Oh, COME ON, ZOEY...The Girl Saved My Life!  
>Anyone Who Would Risk Their Own Life For Another, Can`t Be ALL BAD!<br>If She Was REALLY EVIL, Then She Would Of Let Me Get Crushed Instead Of Saving Me."

Zoe Stared At Chris.

"But-"

"So, Zoey...  
>Once I Write The Letter...How Do You Think I Should Get It To Her?"<p>

Zoe Sighed.

"Well...If I Was The Black Cuervo, AND I`M NOT SAYING I AM!  
>But, If I Was: I`d Probably Hang Out Around Tall Rooftops...Like The Bird-Shaped Tower At My House."<p>

"HEY, GOOD IDEA!  
>Why Didn`t I Think Of That...a Bird Girl Must Like Being In Places Like That!"<p>

"Uhhhh...Sure." Said Zoe, a Little "Unsure" Herself

"Now...What Kind Of Love Letter Should It Be?"

"Uhhhhhhh..."

"I`VE GOT IT!: Poetry."

"Poetry?"

Chris Thought a Bit.

"OH!, How About This..."

Chris Cleared His Throat.

"Black Cuervo...My Raven...My ANGEL OF THE NIGHT.  
>Your Eyes, They Sparkle Like Rubies Stars In The Dark Sky...<br>Your Hair, Your Skin, Your Lips, Your Voice...So Smoothing, Like The Feathers Of a Baby Swan.  
>You Are The Love Of My Life...My Hero, My Guardian Angel, My...Black Cuervo."<p>

Chris Looked At Zoe.

"So, What Do You think?"

Zoe Was Staring At Chris, Her Eyes Wide And Her Jaw Dropped Open.

"Zoe?"

Zoe Soon Regained Her Senses.

"That Was...BEAUTIFUL." Said Zoe In a Forlorn Voice

"GREAT!  
>Now, I Just Hope Cuervo Will Like It."<p>

"oh, i do-, I MEAN: SHE!, SHE WILL!"

Chris Got Up, As Did Zoe.

"Well, COME ON!  
>I`ve Got To get Home So I Can Write This Down!"<p>

Chris And Zoe Ran Off.

[Later, Somewhere In Miracle City]

Manny And Frida Walked Out Of The Hospital.

"I Still Can`t Believe Black Cuervo Clocked Be So Easily." Said Manny

"Maybe It`s KARMA!" Said Frida

Manny Eyed The Goggle Headed Girl.

"Karma?"

"Yeah!, Karma.  
>When You Do Bad Stuff, Bad Things Happen To You...Most Of The Time, Anyway."<p>

"So?"

"So...Maybe You Should Tell Chris Your Sorry."

"TELL HIM I`M-!  
>GRRRRRR!, WHY SHOULD I SAY SORRY TO HIM!<br>Ever Since He Came Into My Life, I`ve Had Nothing But BAD LUCK!"

Frida Eyed Manny.

"Look, Manny...It Wasn`t Chris`s Idea To be Adopted Into Your Family!  
>If You Wanna Blame Someone For Him Butting Into Your Life, Then BLAME YOUR MOM!"<p>

Manny Sighed.

"Maybe Your Right...Perhaps I Was a Bit HARD On Him."

As The Two friends Walked Down The Sidewalk...They Heard Voices.  
>Curious, They Ran Up And Poked Around The Corner Of a Building.<p>

They Saw Chris Johnson...Walking With Zoe Aves.

"It`s...IT`S CHRIS!" Exclaimed Manny

"With ZOE AVES..." Said Frida Darkly

Chris And Zoe Stopped At a Bus Stop.

"I Want To Thank You Again For The Wonderful Time, Zoe..."

Zoe Smiled.

"No Problem, Chris...  
>If You Ever Need Anything, You Know Where To Find Me."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"Of That...I Do."

Chris And Zoe Hugged.  
>At That Moment, The Bus Pulled In.<p>

"Well, There`s My Ride Home...See Ya, Z."

Zoe Waved As Chris Got Into The Bus.  
>It Drove Away And Zoe Then Turned And Walked Home.<p>

Manny And Frida Stood Against The Wall In Shock.

"Chris Johnson...Is Best Friends...With ZOE AVES!" Exclaimed Manny

Frida Faked a Sob.

"Poor Guy...  
>I`d Never Wish Such a Cruel Fate One Anyone...Not Even Sartana!"<p>

[Later That Night]

Zoe Was In Her Night Gown And Was Turning In For The Night.  
>She Then Looked Out Her Window...And a Thought Crossed Her Head.<p>

"now, i wonder if-"

Zoe Walked Up To Her Closet And Opened It.  
>She Strapped On Her Jetpack, Then Walke dOver To Her Window.<p>

She Opened The Window And Flew Up To The Top Of The Building.  
>There, She Saw An Envelope Taped On The Top Of The Beak Of The Bird Statue On The Roof.<p>

Zoe Smiled.

"now, i wonder how he ever got it way up here..."

Zoe Snatched The Envelope And Flew Back Into Her Room.  
>She Took Off Her Jetpack And Sat On The Edge Of Her Bed.<p>

Zoe Opened The Envelope And Read The Letter.  
>She Sighed To herself, Getting That Romantic Feeling.<p>

She Then Sighed As She Realised The REALITY Of It All.  
>She Looked At Her Black Cuervo Jetpack...And Kicked It.<p>

"blast you, black cuervo..."

Zoe Layed Down On her Bed Pulled Up The Covered, Turned Out The Lights And Went To Sleep.


	5. Tragedy

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask Copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 05: Tragedy

[The Next Day]

Chris Gathered Some Books From His Locker At School.  
>As He Shut The Door, He Manny And Frida Staring At Him.<p>

"Oh, Great...You two." Said Chris Glumly

"Hey, Chris...What-Cha-Doin?" Asked Frida

"Going To Class." Said Chris As He Walked Off

As Chris Walked Down the Hall, Manny And Frida Followed Him.

"We, Uhhhh...Heard Your Friends With Zoe Aves." Said Manny

"Yeah...SO!"

"So?" Exclaimed Frida

"So, We`re Wondering Why Your Hanging Out With a Freak Like He-"

Chris Glared At Frida, His Face In her face.

"SHUT UP YOUR MOUTH, GOGGLE HEAD!" Shouted Chris

Frida Froze At Chris`s Sudden Anger.

"Whoa...Take a CHILL PILL, LATELY?"

Manny Growled.

"Chris, Frida Is Right...Zoe Isn`t The Type You`d Want For a Friend."

Chris Sneared.

"Oh, And I Suppose You`d Know All About being a "Good Friend", Eh?"

"Chris, TRUST ME...Zoe Aves Is Nothing But Trouble!"

"WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE!" Exclaimed Chris Loudly

"You Made It Clear Yesterday You Didn`t Want Anything To DO With Me, Anymore!  
>And You Know What, Manny?...I`M FED UP WITH YOU, TOO!<br>I`m Tired Of Trying To Prove Myself To a SELFISH JERK And His EQUALLY JERKY FRIEND!"

"Hey, Don`t Drag Me Into This!" Said Frida

Manny Growled.

"Okay, You Know What: I DON`T CARE!  
>You Can Spend Time With Zoe ALL YOU WANT!...You Two Are SO PERFECT For Each Other."<p>

Chris Glared At Manny.

"And, What Do You Mean By THAT...Rivera!"

"Your Both FREAKS AND LOSERS!"

Chris Growled At Him.

"Oh, Yeah!  
>Well, You And Frida Are Also a PERFECT COUPLE: Your Both SELFISH JERKS Who Only Care About YOURSELVES!"<p>

Chris And Manny Glared AT Each Other, Gritting Their Teeth.  
>They Then Turned And Marched Away, Fuming With Anger.<p>

"FREAK!"

"JERK!"

Frida Stood Still, All Alone.

"Ummm...What Just Happened?"

As Chris Marched Away, He Ran Into Spike And His Gang.

"Hey, Gringo...Time For Your Daily Beatin-"

"OUTTA MY WAY, FREAKSHOW!  
>I`M NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW!"<p>

As Chris Marched Away, Spike And His Boys Glared At Him Darkly.

"That Little Freak...He Deserves "Special Treatment"."

Spike`s Friends Snickered To Themselves.

As Chris Walked Off, He Ran Into Zoe.

"Oh...Hey, Zoe."

"Chris, I`ve Been Looking For You..."

"What Is It?"

"Chris...I`m Afraid I`m Gonna Have To Put a raincheck On Our "Quality Time", Today.  
>I`m Going With My Mom And Grandmother On Some "Family Thing" In The City...You Understand."<p>

"Oh...i see."

Chris Then Smiled.

"Okay, Sure Thing...I Can Go At Least a Day Without You."

"You Sure You`ll Be Okay?"

"SURE!  
>I Can Manage On My Own."<p>

Zoe Smiled.

"Okay...I Guess I`ll See You Later, Then" Said Zoe

Chris Nodded.

"Yeah...See Ya."

Zoe Walked Away, Leaving Chris Alone.

[Recess]

Manny And Frida Walked Outside, When Maria Walked Up To Them.

"MANNY!"

Manny Turned To See His Mom.

"Hey, Mom...What`s-"

"Manny, Honey...I Need You To Go With Chris Into The City."

Manny Sighed.

"But, Mom!"

"Manny, PLEASE!...You Two Need To Spend Some QUALITY TIME, TOGETHER"

Manny Sighed.

"whatever..."

Maria Smiled, She Then Kissed Manny On The Cheek.  
>She Then Left...Leaving Manny And Frida Alone.<p>

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  
>I DO NOT Want To Waste My Day Playing BABYSITTER To That Guy!"<p>

"Then...Let`s Not."

Manny Looked At Frida.

"Huh?"

"Why Don`t We Just Go On Without Him!  
>He`ll Probably Just Hang Out With That ZOE AVES Like He Always Does!."<p>

Manny Thought a Bit.

"Yeah, Your Probably Right.  
>The Worst That Can Happen Is I`ll Get Grounded...And, That Happens ALL THE TIME."<p>

"GREAT!  
>We`ll Totally Crash At The Mayan Arcade Til` We Run Out Of Quarters!" Laughed Frida<p>

[Later, After School]

Chris Sat In Central Park As He Waited On Manny And Frida To Show Up.

"I Can`t Believe I Have To Swallow This...  
>Manny And Frida Have Been Jerks To Me, And I have To Spend Time With Them!"<p>

Chris Sighed.

"Well...I Guess I DID Lose My Temper Back There.  
>And, Manny WAS Acting All Concerned Over Me...Even It It Was Ridiculous To Be Suspicious Of Zoey."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"Maybe I Should Apolygise To Him For Being SO Rude To Him And Frida...  
>Afterall, Just because He`s RUDE And MEAN SPIRITED, It Doesn`t Mean I Have To."<p>

Chris Looked Around.

"That Is...IF THEY EVER GET HERE!"

[Later That Night]

Chris Sighed As He Looked At The Night Sky.

"they ditched me...AGAIN!  
>Why Am I Not Surprised?"<p>

Thunder Clashed And It Started Raining Down On Chris.  
>He Yelled Out In Aggravation, Then Got Up In a Huff.<p>

"Oooooooooo...Sometimes Those Two Make Me SO VERY ANGRY!"

Chris Marched Off In The Rain.  
>He Walked Down The Street And Into The City.<p>

Chris Walked Around For What Felt Like HOURS...  
>It Was So Dark And Rainy, That He Had NO IDEA Where He Was Going.<p>

Chris Soon Walked Into An Alley, Trying To Take a Shortcut...But Hit a DEAD END.

"Oh, Just Great!  
>It`s So Dark And Stormy Out, I Can`t Tell Which Way is Which!"<p>

Then Then, Figures Approached Chris.

"Well, Well, Well..." Began a Voice

Chris Looked To See Spike And His Gang Approaching Him.

"Looky What We Have Here, Boys...  
>The Gringo Has Lost His Way Home...Maybe We Outta "Help Him"."<p>

Chris Gulped Nervously.

"Uhhhhhhh...N-No Thanks.  
>I`m-I`m Sure The Way Home Will Come Back To Me Eventually."<p>

Spike Approached Chris, His Gang Surrounding Him.  
>He Punched Into The Palm Of His Hand, His Buddies Starting Wielding Metal Pipes, Crowbars And Chains.<p>

Chris Choked.

"N-Now...About What Happened Back At School.  
>I`m S-S-Sorry, Spike...I Was Just In a B-B-Bad Mood, That A-All."<p>

Spike Had a Sinister Look On His Face.

"Awwww...Now, That Isn`t Very Nice.  
>People Shouldn`t Go Around With BAD MANNERS...It Just Isn`t Polite."<p>

Spike Grabbed Chris By His Shirt.

"looks like somebody needs to teach you a lesson..." Said Spike, As His Gang Got Closer.

Chris Looked At Spike WIth Fear In His Eyes.  
>He KNEW What Spike Had In Mind...Amd, He Knew He Was Powerless To Stop It.<p>

"Now, BEG FOR MERCY...  
>It Sometimes Helps, But Not Often."<p>

Chris Gulped, But Made a Straight Face.

"No..."

Spike Snickered.

"Okay...a Scream Will Do Just Fine."

Spike Raised His Fist And Punched Chris In The Face, Knocking Him Down.  
>He Then Kicked Chris In His Chest, Who Fliched As He Held His Ribs In Pain.<p>

Chris Looked Up To See Spike`s Gang Standing Over Him WIth Weapons.

"Boys...Knock Yourselves Out."

Spike`s Gang Snickered Wickedly.

"oh, no..."

The Gang Raised Up Their Weapons.

"zoe..."

[Later]

Spike And His Gang Walked Out Of The Alley.  
>Their Weapons Were Broken Or Dented And They All Looked Tired.<p>

"Never Saw Anybody Take a Beating Like That..." Said One Punk

Spiked Chuckled.

"Yeah, he Is Pretty Tough...Didn`t Even Scream Or Anything.  
>But, He Is DEFINETLY Hurting...Heh Heh Heh."<p>

Spike Looked Back At Chris, Who Was Laying Motionless On The Ground In a Pool Of Bloody Water.

"Anyway...Let`s Scram, Fellas."

Spike And His Gang Ran Off.

Once They Were Gone, Chris Raised Up His Head.  
>His Face Was Brused Up And Covered In Bloody Cuts.<p>

He Groaned As He Crawled On All Fours And Tried To Get Out Of Teh Alley.  
>Every Bone In His Body Felt Broken And It Seemed His Every Nerves Was ON FIRE With Pain.<p>

It Hurt To Move...Hurt To Breath...Hurt EVERYWHERE.  
>But, The Pain Wasn`t On His Mind...He Was Thinking Of One ONE THING.<p>

"z-z-zoeeeeeey..."

Chris Tried To Crawl His Way To The Direction Of Zoe`s House, Despite His Pain.

[Meanwhile, At The Aves House]

The FLOCK OF FURY Flew Into The Opening Of Their Tower Base.  
>They Put Down Bags Full Of Money And Artifact That They Stole.<p>

"Quite a Haul We Got, Eh?" Said Voltura

Lady Gobbler Snickered.

"SI!  
>Best Night We Ever Had!"<p>

Cuervo Sighed As She Removed Her Helmet.  
>Volture Walked Over To Her As She Sat Down On An "Egg-Like" Chair.<p>

"Mija...Are You Alright?"

Zoe Sighed.

"Oh, I`m Just Thinking About Chris.  
>I Don`t Like The Idea Of Leaving Him All Alone..."<p>

Voltura Patted Her Daughter On The Shoulder.

"Don`t Worry...I`m Sure He`s Doing Fine.

Zoe Sighed.

"i hope so...i`m the only friend he has."

Lady Gobbler Approached Her Granddaughter.

"OH, RELAX!  
>He Can Go ONE DAY Without You...WHat`s The Worst That Could Happen!"<p>

Zoe Sighed Sharply.

"I`d Rather Not Think About It."

[Later]

The FOF Were Back In their Civilian Attire They Were Getting All Relaxed After a LONG NIGHT Of Theivery.

DING-DOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

"ZOEY!, THE DOOR!" Said Carmelita

Zoe Ran Up To the Door.  
>She Opened It And Then-<p>

"!"

Carmelita Quickly Ran Over To See What her daughte Was Screaming About.  
>When She Got To teh door, She Saw Zoe In a State Of Shock And Horror...<p>

And, then She Saw Chris At The Doorstep...All Broken, Beaten And Bloody."

"OH, MY GOD..."

"z-z-zoey?"

Zoe Snapped Out Of Her Shock And Ran Up To Him She Knelt Down And Lifted His Head, Getting Blood On her Hands.

"Chris?  
>CHRIS!"<p>

Chris Fluttered His Eyes Open.

"Z-Zoe...help me."

Chris Flinched In Pain As His Body Moved.

"MOM!" Shouted Zoe

"I KNOW!, I KNOW!"

Carmelita Quickly Ran Into the Kitchen And Grabbed Her Car Keys.

"WHERE YOu GOI-"

"SORRY, MOM...GOT AN EMERGENCY, HERE!"

Carmelita Ran Up To Zoe.

"Get Him In The Car!"

Zoe Picked Chris Up And Ran Outside.  
>The Two Aves Women Ran To Their Car And Got Inside.<p>

Carmelita Was AT The Driver`s Seat And Zoe And Chris Were In The Back Seat.  
>The Car Quickly Pulled Out And Raced For The Hospital At Top Speed.<p>

Zoe Held Chris Close To her.  
>She Knew He Was In Pain, She She Tried Not To Squeeze TOO HARD.<p>

"Chris...Are You-"

Chris Groaned In Pain.

"WHAT HAPPENED!"

Chris Looked At Zoe.

"m-m-manny and f-frida...  
>they...d-didn`t show up.<br>s-s-spike...amd his g-gang, they-"

Chris Hissed Through His Teeth As Intense Pain Surged Through His Body.

"CHRIS!"

"zoey...it`s hurts so much."

"Hang On, Chris...We`re Almost There."

They Soon Pulled Into The Hospital.  
>Zoe Quickly Ran Out With Chris And Carried Him To The Hospital Doors, Camelita Followed Close Behind.<p>

Zoe Burst Into The Doors.

"HELP!, HELP ME!  
>MY FRIEND!, HE`S HURT!" Shouted Zoe, Close To Tears<p>

The Nurses Ran Over To her.

"Oh, My GOD!" Said a Nurse Upon Seeing Chris

"GET HIM TO THE "E.R.", STAT!  
>AND, CALL DOCTOR GONZALES FOR IMMEDIATE EXAMINATION!"<p>

Some Nurses Rushed a Stretcher Over.  
>Zoe Helped The Nurses Get Him Onto The Stretcher.<p>

Carmelita Soon Arrived To See This.

"Hold On, Chris...Your Going To be Okay!" Said Zoe

Chris Groaned With Pain.  
>He Clutched Zoe`s Hand Tightly.<p>

"zoe...ey."

Chris Released Zoe`s Hand As The Nurses Rushed Him Down the Hall.  
>Zoe Followed Them, While Carmelita Stayed Behind...And Took Out Her Cell Phone.<p>

[Elsewhere]

Maria Was Silently Reading a Book In Her READING ROOM.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Maria Took Out Her Celphone And Answered It.

"Hello?  
>Oh, Hi Carmelita...How Are Yo-"<p>

Carmelita Spoke To Her.

"What?"

Maria`s Face Soon Became Pale, a Look Of Terror On Her Face.

"HE`S WHERE!

Maria Felt The Urge To Hyperventilate, But Resisted It.

"H-HANG ON, I`LL BE RIGHT THERE!"

As Maria Ran To fetch Her Coat, She Dialed Another Number On Her Phone.

"RUDOLFO!  
>I NEED YOu AND GRANDPAPI TO MEET ME AT THE HOSPITAL, NOW!...CHRIS IS HURT!"<p>

Maria Was Soon In Her Car And Raced For The Hospital.

[Meanwhile, At The Hospital]

Zoe Was Looking Through a Glass Window As The Doctor And Nurses Examined Chris.  
>Her Nails Scratched At The Glass, Fear And Terror Ebbing Away At Her.<p>

a Nurse Soon Walked Out Of The Room.

"I`m Sorry, You have To leave."

"B-BUT, HE`S MY FRIEND!"

"I`m Sorry, Miss.  
>You Have To Stay In The Waiting Room."<p>

The Nurse Eccorted Zoe Away.

[The Waiting Room]

Carmelita Was Sitting At a Chair.  
>She Soon Saw Maria Run Inside, She Got Up To See Her.<p>

"CARMELITA, WHAT HAPPENED!" Exclaimed Maria

Carmelita Sighed.

"I Don`t Know...I`m Just As Confused As You Are."

Maria Was Trembling In Panic.

"Is...Is Manny, Okay?"

"he wasn`t there..." Said a Voice

Maria And Carmelita Turned To See Zoe, Who Walked Up To Them.

"manny and frida never showed up, chris was on his own...that`s what he told me."

Maria Walked You To Zoe.

"What Happened To Chris!"

Zoe`s Body Shook, Tears Escaping Her Eyes.

"he was...beaten up.  
>by a street gang...it was spike, a kid from school."<p>

"W-WHAT!"

"my god...there was so much blood.  
>i`ve never seen him so weak and helpless..." Said Zoe, Who Was Talking To Herself<p>

"B-B-BLOOD!"

Maria Began To Faint, But Carmelita Caught Her.

Rudolfo And Grandpapi Soon Arrived...As Did Nana Aves.

"MARIA!"

Maria Managed To Recover.  
>She Walked Up To Rudolfo.<p>

"rudolfo...chris is."

Maria Cried, Then Hugged Rudolfo Suddenly.

"oh, my..."

"Maria, What Happened?"

Maria Looked At Rudolfo.

"chris...he was beat by a street gang."

Rudolfo Was In Shock.

"Where Is Manny?"

Maria Sighed.

"he...wasn`t there."

"WHAT!"

Rudolfo Suddenly Reached into His Pocket And Took Out His Celphone.

[Meanwhile, At The Mayan Arcade]

Manny And Frida Were Playing Videogames NON-STOP.

"THIS IS SO AWESOME!" Said Frida

"I`LL SAY!" Said Manny

Just Then, Manny Celphone Vibrated.  
>He Reached In And Answered It.<p>

"Hello?

"MANUEL PABLO GUTIERREZ O`BRIEN EQUIHUA RIVERA!"

Manny Sighed.

"hi, dad..."

"WHERE ARE YOU!"

"I`m, Uhhhhh...Hanging Out With Chris At The Mayan Arcade." Said Manny

"I Fail To See How That Is Possible...Since Chris Is In The Hospital Right Now."

Manny`s Face Turned Pale.

"H-H-HOSPITAL!"

"GET OVER HERE, NOW!"

Manny Hung Up His Phone.  
>He Quickly grabbed Frida By her Arm.<p>

"HEY!  
>WHAT GIVES!"<p>

"CHRIS IS IN THE HOSPITAL!"

It Was Frida`s Turn To be Shocked.

"THE WHAT!"

"WE HAVE TO GET OVER THERE, NOW!"

Manny And Frida Ran Out The Arcade.

[Later, At The Hospital]

Manny And Frida Ran Into The Hospital.  
>Once At The Waiting Room, They Saw The Rivera And Aves Family There.<p>

"M-Mom?"

Maria Looked At Manny, Her Eyes Red From Her Tears.  
>She Looked Away, Her Face Obviously Disappointed.<p>

Rudolfo And Grandpapi Were Also Disappointed.

Zoe, However...Had "Different" Emotions.

"MANNY!"

Zoe Marched Over To Manny And Frida.  
>Her face Had An Enraged Expression, But Her Eyes Were Streaming With Tears.<p>

"You Blasted, No Good Jerk!  
>How Dare You Come Here, HOW DARE YOU!"<p>

"But, I-

SLAP!

Zoe Struck Manny Across The Face Really Hard.

"All Chris Ever Wanted Was To Be Your Brother, BUT YOU NEVER GAVE HIM A CHANCE!  
>Admit It!, You Wanted Chris Gone!, Well...ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!<br>I HATE YOU!, I HATE YOU!, I HATE YOU!"

Manny Was Frozen, Unsure What to Think.

Zoe Then Glared At Frida.

"You...  
>I Always Knew You Were NO GOOD, Suarez...But, I Never Woukd Of Dreamed You Go THIS LOW!"<p>

"W-What?"

"DON`T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!  
>I KNOW YOu HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS!<br>You Just Couldn`t Let me Be Happy...YOU HAD TO TAKE HIm AWAY FROM ME!"

"I-"

POW!

Zoe Punched Frida Hard In the Jaw, Knocking Her Down.

"YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO BE WITH CHRIS, TODAY!"

"Well, What About You!  
>Aren`t You Suppose To be His Friend Who Hangs Out With Him!"<p>

"I WAS BUSY WITH My FAMILY, TONIGHT!  
>NOW, THANKS TO YOU AND MANNY...CHRIS GOT BEATEN NEAR TO DEATH BY SPIKE AND HIS GANG!"<p>

Frida Had a Shocked Expression, As Did Manny.

"S-S-Spike?"

Zoe Marched Off And Cried, Carmelita Held Her Close.  
>Rudolfo Approached Manny, His Face Expressed With Great Sadness.<p>

"Manny, I Am So Very Disappointed In You...  
>Maria Trusted You To Keep Chris Safe, How Could You Betray Her Like That?"<p>

"I-I-I-"

"Manny, I Have Done Much Evil In My Life..." Began Grandpapi

"But, Even I Wouldn`t Do This."

Manny Hung his Head Low.  
>Frida`s Head Was Also Low.<p>

Just Then, Doctor Gonzales Walked In.  
>Everyone Gathered Around Him To Listen.<p>

"How...How Bad Is it, Doc?" Asked Maria

The Doctor Sighed.

"Looks Pretty Bad...  
>Almost Every Bone In his Body Is Broken...The Rest Look Brittle."<p>

EVeryone Was Shocked At This.

"He Also Lost Quite ALOT Of Blood...  
>To be Honest, He`s Lucky To Be Alive."<p>

"W-Will He Make It?" Asked Maria

"At This Point, It`s Hard To Tell...  
>The Best Chance He Has Is AN Immediate Blood Transfusion.<br>But, Even Then...He`ll Be Lucky If He Lived Through The Night."

Maria Sobbed a Little.  
>Manny And Frida Felt Ever More Low Than They Did.<p>

Zoe Narrowed Her Eyes.

"I`ll Do It..."

Carmelita Looked At Zoe.

"What?"

"I`ll Give My Blood To Save Him."

Zoe Faced The Doctor.

"Will It Work?"

The Doctor Sighed.

"It Should.  
>Though, The Process Will be Risky for You...he Has Lost Quite Alot Of Blood.<p>

"Take As Much As You Need...I`ll Take Any Chance If It Means Saving Him."

The Doctor Sighed.

"Very Well...  
>Come With Me, And We`ll Begin The Transfusion."<p>

Zoe Glanced Back At Manny And Frida And Glared At Them.

"If Chris Dies Tonight...His Blood Will Be On YOUR HANDS.  
>And, There Will Be NO PLACE On Earth Where You Will Be Able To Hide From Me."<p>

Zoe Walked Away, Leaving Manny And Frida Alone WIth The Other.

Manny Hung His Head Low, Guilt Eating Away At Him.

"my god...what have i done?"

[Meanwhile, In The Emergency Room]

Chris Lay On a Hospital Bed, His Body Wrapped In Casts And Bandages He Had Wires Connected To Him, Which Monioring His Vitals.

And His Vitals Were VERY WEAK, The Line On The Monitor Looking Very SLIM.

Zoe Lay On a Bed Beside Him, Looking On At Him With Saddened Eyes.  
>She Had a Tube Connected To Her Arm That Was Linked To a Bag Hanging On a Pole Which Had a Another Tube Connected To Chris`s Arm.<p>

The Doctor Walked Over To Zoe.

"You ready For This, Miss Aves?

Zoe Nodded Slowly.  
>The Doctor Pressed a Button On a Device.<p>

Zoe Winced As She Felt Her Tube Pumped Blood From Her Arm.  
>She Looked And Saw a Steady Flow Of Red Liquid Travel Through The Tube And Began Filling Up The Bag.<p>

Soon, The Bag Was Full...And Zoe Felt Very Dizzy.

"okay, Now To Proceed With The Transfusion." Said The doctor

a Nurse Removed The Tube From Zoe`s Arm And Quickly Bandaged It.  
>Zoe Watched As The Doctor Pressed Another Button On The Device.<p>

Zoe`s Blood Began To Run Down The Tube And Pumped Into Chris`s Arm.

"is it...working?"

"Difficult To Say." Said The Doctor

"But, He Seems To Be Holding Up."

The Blood Bag Was Soon Emptied.  
>a Nurse Removed The Tube From Chris`s Arm And Bandaged It Up<p>

"Now All We Can Do Is Hope He Holds Out..."

"D-Doctor...I Want To Stay Here With Chris."

The Doctor Sighed.

"Fair Enough."

The Doctor Soon Left, As Did The Nurses.  
>It Was At That Moment, That Carmelita Aves Walked In.<p>

"Zoey, I-

"Don`t Talk To Me." Said Zoe Coldy

Carmelita Sighed.

"Zoe...I`m Sorry."

Zoe Glared At Her Mother.

"You Should Be...  
>If I Wasn`t Out Stealing Things As The Black Cuervo...Then, NONE OF THIS WOULD OF HAPPENED!"<p>

"Zoe, I-"

"It Was Your Idea For Us To Go Out Stealing...When I Should Of Been With Chris!"

Carmelita Sighed Sharply.  
>Sure Knew That DEEP DOWN...Zoe Was Right: Chris`s Ordeal WAS Partially Her Fault.<p>

"Zoe...your right.  
>It Was My Fault, And I`m Sorry."<p>

Zoe Was Silent As She Turned Away.

"mom..."

"Yes, Zoey?"

Zoe Inhaled Deeply, Then Exhaled.

"I Don`t Want To be The Black Cuervo, Anymore...  
>I Don`t Want To Be Part Of the Flock Of Fury...I Quit."<p>

Carmelita Was Shocked.

"QUIT!  
>YOU CAN`T QUIT!"<p>

"Mom, The Black Cuervo Almost Got Chris Killed."

Carmelita Sighed.  
>Then, She Remembered Something.<p>

"But, She ALSO Saved Him That One Day..."

Zoe Looked At her Mom.

"Mija...I Know You Feel Responsible.  
>But, No One Is To Blame For What Happened...EXCEPT That gang Who Did This."<p>

Zoe Sighed At These Words.

"Zoe...Listen To Me.  
>Sometimes We Make Mistakes...And, We Can`t Do Anything To Undo It.<br>All We Can Do Is Move On And Try To Learn From Our Mistakes."

Carmelita Approached Her Daughter.

"Don`t Give Up being The Cuervo...Just Because You Failed ONCE.  
>If Anything, This Is a GOOD REASON To Keep Being The Cuervo...At Least For Him."<p>

Zoe Sighed Sharply.  
>She Then Cried a Little.<p>

Carmelita Leaned Over And Kissed Her daughter On The Head.

"I Am Sorry, Zoe...Very Sorry.  
>I...I Hope Chris Will Be Alright."<p>

Zoe Nodded.

"so do i...i`ll be lost without him." Said Zoe Sadly

Carmelita Sighed, Then Walked Away...Leaving The Room.

Zoe Looked Over At Chris.  
>She Reached Out Her And And Held Onto His Tightly.<p>

"please don`t leave me, chris...your the best friend i`ve ever had."

Zoe Shed a Tear.

"i`m...i`m sorry."

Chris`s Breathing Was Weak And He Was Out Cold But...Zoe Could Feel Chris`s Hand Tightening Slightly On Hers.

Zoe Smiled, Though Tears Still Stood In her Eyes.

"that`s it, chris...don`t give up."

[Meanwhile, In The Waiting Room]

Manny And Frida Sat Alone At a Chair.  
>Manny`s Held Was Hung low, As Was Frida`s...Guilt Was Obviously Upon Them.<p>

"what have i done..." Said Manny

Frida Looked At Her friend.

"I...I Can`t Believe The Last Thing I Said To Him Was That He Was a FREAK And a LOSER..."

Manny Buried His Face Into His Hands.

"i am such a jerk!" Sobbed Manny

Frida Sighed Sharply.

"no more than me...  
>It Was My Idea To Ditch On Him, Remember?"<p>

Frida Shed a Tear.

"Zoe Was Right About Me...I Am a Jerk."

Manny Looked Up.  
>He Glanced Over At His Mother...Who Was Sitting In her Seat, Trembling.<p>

Manny Sighed.  
>He Got Up And Walked Over To Her...Frida Followed Him.<p>

Manny faced His Mother, Who Looked At Him.

"M-Mom...I`m...I`m Sorry.  
>I...I Didn`t Mean For Any Of This To Happen, I Swear!"<p>

Maria Looked At Manny.  
>Her Face Was Emotionless.<p>

"Tell Me, Manny...Why Did You Do It?  
>Why have You Been Rejecting Chris So Much?"<p>

Manny Sighed.

"i...i don`t know.  
>I Guess I Was...Afraid."<p>

"Afraid?"

"Yes...Afraid.  
>I Was Afraid He Was Going To Replace Me As Your Son."<p>

Maria Sighed.

"Manny...YOU-ARE-MY-SON!  
>I Will Never Stop Loving You, YOU KNOW THAT!"<p>

Maria Exhaled Deeply.

"But, There Is Something You Need To Understand...  
>Chris...He Doesn`t Have a Family Of His Own.<br>Unlike You, He Grew Up All Alone...Without a Mother, a Father OR Any Friends."

Maria Sighed.

"He Doesn`t Even KNOW Who His Parents Are...Or His TRUE NAME.  
>See, His Real Family Are a Mystery To Him And He May Never Know Where He Came From."<p>

Manny Looked At His Mother In Shock And Awe, As Did Frida.

"Manny...When I Adopted Chris, I Did It So He Could HAVE A FAMILY.  
>So He Could Have a REAL HOME And Not Live On The Streets As AN Outcast..."<p>

Maria Placed Her Hand On Manny`s Shoulder.

"Manny...I Will ALWAYS Love You, Your My Son.  
>But, I Also Love Chris...Just As Much As I Love You."<p>

Manny Sighed, His Head Hung Low.  
>Maria Touched Manny`s Chin And Brought His Face To Hers.<p>

"And He IS Your Brother, Manny...  
>Not By Blood...But, By Love."<p>

Manny Sighed He Shed Some Tears.

"I...I Know That Now, Mom." Said Manny, His Voice Breaking

"I`m So Sorry!"

Manny Hugged His Mom And Cried In her Chest Maria Hugged Her Son, Comforting Him The Best She Could.

"i know, manny...i know."

Frida Sighed Deeply.  
>She Never Knew Of Chris`s Tragic Past...Which Only Deepened Her Guilt.<p>

"i`m sorry, chris...i am so sorry." Whispered Frida To Herself.


	6. Recovery

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 06: Recovery And Forgiveness

[Miracle City Hospital]

The Sunlight Shined Into The Window As Dawn Approached...  
>Zoe Aves Was Sitting On a Chair Facing Chris`s Hospital Bed.<p>

She Had been Sitting There ALL NIGHT Once She Was Able To And, Had Fallen Asleep There While Watching Over Chris.

Zoe Soon Fluttered Her Eyes Opened As She Woke Up.  
>Her Stiff Back Cracked a Bit As She Stretched Out.<p>

"ohhhh...what a night."

Zoe Looked At Chris, Who Was Still Motionless.

"Chris?  
>Chris, Wake Up...Please."<p>

Chris Moved Slightly, His Breathing Shallow.  
>Zoe Watched As His Eyelids Moved a Little.<p>

"Chris?"

Chris Soon Opened His Eyes Slowly And Steadily.  
>His Vision Was Blurred a Little, But Soon Cleared Up.<p>

He Looked Over The See Zoe Looking At Him.

"Z?..."

Zoe Sobbed With Joy.

"oh, chris..."

She Immediatly Hugged Chris, But Not Too Tightly.

"Your Alright!" Said Zoe, Looking At Him

"I...I Guess So."

Zoe Cried a Little.

"oh, chris...i was so scared.  
>for a moment, i was afraid that i would lose you."<p>

Chris Looked At Zoe.  
>He Smiled, Then Touched Her Chin Softly.<p>

"Oh, Zoey...  
>Don`t Worry, I`m Okay, Now."<p>

Zoe Smiled, But Still Cried a Little.

"How...Are You Feeling?"

"Well...My Body Aches All Over And, I Do Feel a Little Sore And Dizzy...But, I Think I`m Okay."

Chris Looked At Zoe.

"Have You Been Here All Night?" Asked Chris

Zoe Nodded.

"I have...  
>I Also Gave My Blood To Save Your Life."<p>

Chris Eyed Her.

"You Did?"

Zoe Nodded.

"Everyone Else Was Here, Too...  
>But, I Stayed When They Had To Go Home."<p>

"Everyone?"

"Yeah, Everyone..."

Chris Thought a Bit.

"Was...Manny Here?"

Zoe Frowned, Her Eyes Narrowed.

"yes..." Replied Zoe With a Growl

"oh..." Said Chris, Thinking Hard About This

He Then Looked At Zoe.

"Zoey...Could You Call Them, Tell Me I`m Awake?"

"Are You Sure?"

Chris Nodded.

"Yes...I Want To See My Family."

Zoe Sighed.

"okay, chris...i`ll call them."

Zoe Took Out Her celphone And Dialed a Number.

[Later]

The Rivera And Aves Family Were Soon At The Hospital.  
>Manny And Frida Were Also There, Too...But, They Were Still Might Depressed.<p>

Zoe Soon Walked Out Into The Waiting Room.

"Zoe...Is He-"

"Chris Is Fine." Began Zoe To Maria

"Though He Says His Body Is Still Aching And Sore."

Zoe Eyes Manny And Frida.  
>She Approached Them With a "Death Glare".<p>

"After Everything You Two Have Done...Chris Has Every Right To Hate You.  
>But, He Asked To See The Both Of You FIRST before Anyone Else."<p>

Manny And Frida Were Very Surprised.  
>Zoe Walked Off, Not Making Eye Contact.<p>

"count yourself lucky that chris is so forgiving...you don`t deserve a brother like him, rivera."

Manny Sighed.

"Yeah...i know."

Manny Walked Into The Hall, Followed By Frida.

[Chris`s Room]

Manny Opened The Door And Saw Chris laying On His Hospital Bed.  
>His Body Was Still Bandaged Up With Casts That Kept His Limbs Straight So His Bones Could Heal Better.<p>

Wires Were Connected To Him That Monitored His Vitals.  
>The Deviced Showed His Heart Rate Was Very Steady.<p>

Manny Walked In, As Did Frida.  
>Chris Looked Up To See Them Walk In.<p>

"Manny...Frida.  
>You Came...(Chuckle) First Time For Everything, I Guess."<p>

Manny Sighed Sharply.  
>Frida Stood Still As Manny Approached Chris.<p>

"chris...i`m...i`m sorry.  
>i am so very sorry...i didn`t mean for this to happen."<p>

Chris Watched At a Teary Eyes Manny Spoke To Him.

"I`m Sorry For What I Did To You...  
>I Was a Jerk Who had No Reason To Treat You So Cruelly."<p>

Manny Sighed Sharply.

"See, Chris...I Was Scared.  
>I Was Afraid That You Was Taking My Mom Away From Me...<br>But, That Was Stupid And Childish...And, I Understand If You Hate Me For It."

Chris Sighed.

"manny...I Don`t Hate You, I Never Did.  
>And, To Be Honest...I Should Be Saying Sorry."<p>

Manny Looked At Chris.

"What?"

"I Said Terrible Things Too."

Manny Looked At Chris, Then Sighed Sharply.

"They Were TRUE Things."

"That Still Didn`t Make It Right...  
>It Was Wrong Of Me To Act That Way, So...I`m Sorry."<p>

Manny Looked AT Chris In Disbelief.

"I...I Don`t Understand.  
>You Have Every Right To be Angry WIth Me, But...YOUR Apolygising?"<p>

Chris Sighed.

"Manny...I Never Wanted To Take You family Away From You.  
>All I Wanted Was To be PART Of Your Family..."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"Ever Since I Was Born...I`ve Lived My Life Alone.  
>I never Knew My Parents And I Had No Friends Growing Up.<br>You Know, Sometimes I`d Lay Awake At Night And DREAM Of What It Would Be Like To Have Those Things...  
>That`s Why I Came Here To Mexico, To Miracle City...SO I Could Get My Chance At happiness."<p>

Manny And Frida Looked At Chris As He Spoke.

"Maria Gave Me That Chance...Even Though She Didn`t Have To.  
>All I Ever Wanted...Was To BELONG Somewhere And Not be An Outcast, Anymore."<p>

Chris Sighed As He Shed a Tear.

"But...That Isn`t Really Easy, It It?  
>I`m The Only American In An Entire City Full Of Mexicans And Hispanics...<br>So, I Feel More Like An Outcast HERE...Than I Did Back In My Country."

Chris Looked At Manny.

"I Don`t Blame You For Rejecting Me, Manny...I Am DIFFERENT."

Manny Sighed Deeply.

"I Did Reject You...And, It Was Wrong Of Me.  
>I Should Of Realised That Family Is So Much More Than BLOODLINES..."<p>

Manny Walked Up To Chris And Looked At Him.

"You ARE Family, Chris...I Know That Now.  
>You Are My Brother...And, Most Of All: You...ARE...a Rivera."<p>

Chris Smiled, a Tear In His Eye.

"Manny...That`s All I Wanted To Hear From You."

Chris Gave Manny a Hug, Despite His Pain.  
>Manny Hugged Him back, Tears Still In His Eyes.<p>

Frida bit Her Lip, Then Walked Over To Them.

"Chris..."

Manny Stepped Aside As Chris Turned To face Frida.

"Chris, Ditching On You Wasn`t Manny`s Idea...It Was Mine.  
>I`m The One Who Talked Manny Into Going To the Mayan Arcade Instead Of Be With You...<br>And, If Anyone Is To blame For What Happened To You...it`s me, not manny.  
>I Don`t Expect You To Forgive Me...Since I`m Not family, I Just Want You To Understand."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"Frida...I Forgive You."

Frida Sobbed a Little.  
>She Ran Over And Hugged Chris.<p>

"thank you...and, i`m sorry."

Chris Patted Frida On Her back.

"i understand..."

Frida Parted From Him Manny And Frida Then Left Him Alone.

Chris Stayed In The Hospital For a Few More Weeks Or So.  
>During His Stay There, He Was Visited Constantly By His Family And Friends...<p>

Zoe ALWAYS Came To Spend Time With Him, Usually Talking About Her Day And Such.  
>The Only Other Person Whose Visits Was Constant Was Maria, Who ALWAYS Brought Him Some Books To Read.<br>Manny And Frida Also Sacrificed Their Spare Time To Spend With Him As Well.

Luckily For Chris, His Expensive Hospital Bills Was Payed In Full By Grandpapi Rivera And, Even The Aves Family Donated Their Funds For His Full Recovery...

Though, Chris Often Wondered WHERE They Got So Much Money In The First Place.

After What Felt Like a Year (Actually a Few Months In Total)  
>Chris Was Finally Well Enough To Leave The Hospital And Spend His Recovery At Home.<p>

Naturally, His Loved Ones Were There For Him When This Day Came.

[Miracle City Hospital, Parking Lot]

Chris Was Sitting In a Wheelchair That Was Rolled By Maria Towards Her Car.  
>He Was Greeted There By Manny, Frida And Zoe...Who Looked At Him, Both Happy And Sad.<p>

"Okay, Chris...Here We Go." Said Maria

Maria Moved Chris`s Wheelchair Near the Car Door.  
>Manny Opened The Door, While Frida And Zoe Helped Him Up.<p>

"Guys, Guys...I Can Handle Mysel-"

"Chris, Your Bones Need To Heal...You Can`t be Moving Around So Much." Said Zoe

"Look, The Doctor Said I`m Able To Move On My Own, Now."

"He ALSO Said You need Plenty Of Rest." Said Zoe

Chris Sighed Sharply.  
>He Knew There Was No Arguing With Zoe Once Her Mind Was Made Up.<p>

Chris Sighed Deeply.

"okay, fine...you win."

Frida And Zoe Helped Chris Into The Car.  
>Maria Grabbed Some Crutches From The Wheelchair And Handed Them To Chris.<p>

"Don`t Forget These, Mijo!"

Chris Sighed As He Took Them.  
>Maria Soon Walked Around And Got In The Car, As Did The Three Teens.<p>

Maria Soon Started Driving Out Of The Hospital`s Parking Lot And Drove Into The Streets That Lead Into The City...Headed For Her Estate.

Chris Sighed As He Sat In His Seat.  
>He Hated To Feel So WEAK And HELPLESS...But, There Was No Way Around It.<p>

Maria Soon Reached a Stopped At a Red Light.  
>Chris Looked Around...Then, He Cringed At What He Saw: The Same Alley Where Spike And His Gang Beat Him.<p>

Chris Couldn`t Help But Tremble a Little.  
>The Longer Looked At That Place, The More The BAD MEMORIES Came Back.<p>

Zoe Could See Chris`s Fear From The Backseat.

"Chris?  
>Chris, Are You Okay?"<p>

Chris Sighed Sharply.  
>Zoe Looked At The Alley, As Did Manny And Frida.<p>

Zoe Then Realised Why Chris Was So Upset.

"was...That Were It Happened?" Asked Zoe

Chris Was Silent, But Nodded.  
>Zoe Exhaled Sharply, Her Eyes Narrowed.<p>

The More She Thought About Was Spike And His Gang Did To Chris...The More She HATED Them.  
>She Wasn`t Alone...Manny Also Found a Seething Rage For The Bullies, EVen Frida Couldn`t Help But Despise Them.<p>

"C-C-Could We Take Another Street?" Asked Chris, His Voice Trembling

Maria Looked At Chris, Then Sighed.

"sure, chris..."

Maria Took a Detour And Drove Down a Different Street.  
>Chris Sighed With Relief, Though His Head Was Hung Low.<p>

His Body May Be Healing, But He Wasn`t Sure Of His "Psychological Damages".

They Soon Reached Maria`s Manor.  
>Chris Got Out And Used His Crutches To Walk...<br>Manny, Zoe And Frida Walked Close To Him, In Case He Needed Any Help.

Later, Chris Opened The Door To His Room.  
>Manny, Frida And Zoe Walked In And Watched Him Sit On His Bed.<p>

"Chris...Are You feeling, Okay?"

Chris Looked At them, His Face Emotionless.

"I Don`t Know...  
>I Guess I`m Still a Little Shaken Up From What Happened."<p>

Zoe Clentched Her Fist Tightly.

"Those Blasted Punks!  
>They`ll Pay For What They Did!"<p>

"ZOE, NO!  
>Don`t Do It!"<p>

Zoe Looked At Chris.

"Why Not!"

"Because, Your Better Than They Are...  
>Responding To Their Cruelty With MORE VIOLENCE Will Only Provoke Them More."<p>

Zoe Sighed.

"But...I Can`t Just Let Them Get Away With This!"

"You Know, For Once...I Agree With Zoey." Said Frida

Chris Sighed.

"Look, If There Is Any Justice In The World...They`ll Get What They Deserve In The End."

Manny Punched His Hand.

"I Still Think We Should Go Over To There Little Hangout By Park Row And CLOBBER THEM!"

"Right...And, Then The Police Will Arrest You For Harrassment." Said Chris

Manny Sighed, Realising He Was Beat.

"Look, Don`t Waste Your Strength On Those Guys...Their Not Worth It."

Chris Yawned Loudly.

"Right Now...I`m VERY TIRED.  
>And, I`m Gonna Take The Doc`s Advice And Get Some Rest."<p>

Chris Layed Down On His Bed.  
>Max Soon Walked In And Got Up Next To Him.<p>

"Okay...See Ya." Said Manny As He Left

"Yeah, See Ya Around." Said Frida, Who Also Left

Zoe Just Looked At Chris.  
>She Sighed As She Walked Over And Gave Him a Hug.<p>

"see you soon, chris...  
>i`ll call you whenever i can."<p>

Zoe Began To Leave.

"Zoey..." Started Chris

Zoe Turned To Look At Him.

"Promise Me You Won`t Try Anything At School...Please?"

Zoe Sighed Deeply.  
>She Knew It Would Be HARD To Resist, But...She Was Willing To Do Anything For Chris.<p>

"Sure, Chris...I Promise."

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks, Zoe...I Knew I Could Cound On You."

Zoe Smiled, She Then Left.  
>Chris Turned Over, He Closed His Eyes And Drifted To Sleep.<p>

[Later, At School]

Zoe Slammed The Door To Her Locker Shut.  
>She Walked Down The Hall, Carrying Her Books.<p>

It Was At That Moment...That Spike And His Gang Showed Up.

"Hello There, Aves..."

Zoe Glared At Spike.

"what do you want?" Said Zoe Darkly

"Well, Seeing As How Your "Boyfriend" Isn`t Around...We Have To Find Someone To Pick On.  
>And, Seeing As Your On Your Own Now...Guess Who We`ve Picked?"<p>

Zoe Gritted Her Teeth.

"You Jerk!  
>Chris Almost Died Because Of You!"<p>

Spike Smirked Cruely.

"Really?  
>Well, That`s a Shame...Here I Was Hoping That Gringo Was Done For."<p>

Zoe`s Muscles Tensed.  
>She Wanted To Hit Him...But, She Remembered The Promise She Made To Chris.<p>

"Nice Books..."

Spike Reached For Zoe`s Books, But a Voice Rang Out.

"SPIKE!"

Spike And The Others Turned To See Manny And Frida Walk Up.  
>Manny Had a Dark Look In His Eyes...Like a Tiger Ready To Kill.<p>

"Leave Her Alone..."

Spike Chuckled.

"Since When Do You Defend Aves?"

Manny Glared At Him.

"Get Out Of Here...NOW."

Spike Sneared.  
>He And His Gang Left.<p>

Zoe Sighed.

"thanks..." Said Zoe, Walking Off

"You Gonna be Okay?" Asked Manny

Zoe Nodded.

"yeah...i`m fine."

Zoe Walked Off, Leaving Manny And Frida Alone.

"She Really Misses Him Being Around, Doesn`t She?" Asked Frida

Manny Nodded.

"Yeah...She Does."

Zoe Walked Off Alone.  
>She Sighed As Her Mind Wandered a Bit.<p>

Zoe Looked At Her Black Wristwatch.  
>She Sighed As She Remembered Her Secret Identity As The Black Cuervo.<p>

Chris Cared For Her As a Friend, But had a Crush On The Black Cuervo.  
>Zoe Herself Was Having Mixed Feelings About Chris As Well...<p>

She Also Felt Guilty.  
>She Was Chris`s Best Friend And He Trusted Her, But Was Keeping a Secret From Him...<br>And Not just About Cuervo...But, Her "Original" Purpose For Being Friends With Him.

Zoe Figured Telling Chris The Truth May Destroy His Trust In Her...But, She Couldn`t Keep Lying To Him.  
>If She Was Any TRUE FRIEND, She`d Be Honest With Chris...Even If The Truth Was Hurtful.<p>

[Later That Night]

Chris Was In His Bed Sleeping.  
>Suddenly, He Awoke To a Clacking Noise.<p>

He Looked Up And Saw That It Was Coming From His Window.  
>So, He Slowly Got Up And Walked Over To His Window, Then Opened It.<p>

He Looked Down And Saw Zoe Standing There.

"Zoe?  
>What Are You Doing Out Here So Late?"<p>

"I Need To Speak To You About Something...And, It Can`t Wait."

"Well, Tell Me..."

"No, I Need You To Come Down Here."

Chris Sighed.

"Alright, I`ll Be Right There..."

Chris Closed His Window And Disappeared From Zoe`s View.  
>After a few Minutes Or So Of Waiting...Chris Soon Walked Out The Door.<p>

Chris Walked Over To Zoe.

"Okay, What Is It?"

Zoe Sighed Sharply, Her Face Saddened.

"Chris...I haven`t Been Completly Honest With You."

"What Do You Mean?"

Zoe Twiddled Her Fingers, Biting Her Lip.

"Well...You See.  
>W-When We First Met...I...I Wasn`t Nice To You Because I Liked You."<p>

Zoe Sighed Sharply As She Continued.

"See...I Found Out You Was Manny`s New Brother.  
>And, I...(Sob) I Tried To Use You For Revenge By Pretending To be Your Friend."<p>

CHris Eyes Her.

"Y-You What?"

Zoe Was In tears.

"And, When You Brought Me To Your House...  
>I...I tried To Steal Something From You Mom, Something I Was Gonna Use Against Manny."<p>

Zoe Cried.

"I`m...I`M SO SORRY!

Chris Just Looked At The Crying Zoe In Shock.  
>He Finally Sighed And Brough Zoe`s Face To His own.<p>

"Zoe...It`s OKAY, I Forgive You."

"Y-You Do?"

Chris Nodded.

"Z, It Was So Long Ago...You`ve Changed Since Then.  
>I See No reason Why I Shoul Be Mad Over Something In The Past."<p>

Zoe Sighed.

"there is...something else."

"What?"

Zoe Sighed.  
>She Reached Over And Pressed a Button On Her Wristwatch.<p>

Chris Saw Black And Purple Armor Cover Her Body...Til She Became The Black Cuervo.

"Chris...I`m The Black Cuervo."

Chris Was Fully in Shock.

"Y-Y-Y-YOUR WHAT!"

Cuervo Sighed.

"i`m sorry, chris...i really am."

Chris Slapped His face.

"oh my god...  
>You Mean To Tell Me That I Have a Crush On My BEST FRIEND!"<p>

Chris Suddenly Realised Something Else, Then Slapped His Face Again.

"the love letter..."

"I Thought It Was Sweet." Said Zoe, Who Smiled Sheepishly

Chris Then Remembered Something Else.

"Wait...  
>Then, It Was YOU Who Saved Me That Day?"<p>

Cuervo Nodded.

"It Was An Accident...  
>Things Got Out Of Hand When I Was Fighting El Tigre."<p>

"Why Were You Fighting That Guy!

Cuervo Sighed.

"Because...El Tigre Is Manny Rivera."

"He`s WHAT!"

"I Was Attacking Him Over WHat he Did To you."

Chris Took a Minute To process This.

"Okay, Lemme Get This Straight...  
>Your The Black Cuervo...Meaning Your Mother And Grandmother Are-"<p>

"Voltura And Lady Gobbler."

"Right.  
>And, If Manny Is EL Tigre...Then, Does That mean That-<p>

Cuervo Nodded.

"His Father Is White Pantera And His Grandfather Is Puma Loco."

Chris Exhaled Deeply.

"Right...And I Suppose My Mom Wears a Costume, Too." Said Chris Sarcasticly

Cuervo Was Silent.  
>Chris Just Looked At her.<p>

"Zoey..."

"Your Mom USED To be Plata Peligrosa."

"You mean That Crazy Person?"

Cuervo Nodded.

"WHen I Was In yoru Mother`s Room...I Was Trying To Steal Her Silver Glove Of Power."

Chris Sighed Sharply, He Soon Sat Down.

"Chris, I`M SO SORRY!  
>I MEant To Tell You This, I Swear!<br>I Was Just...Just...Afraid."

Chris Looked At Her.

"Afraid?"

"Hmm-Hmm...That You Wouldn`t Trust Me For Keeping These Secrets From You."

Chris Sighed.

"Well, I Am Pretty Surprised...But, I`m Not Mad.  
>I Understand Why You Did, So I Can`t Really Hold That Against You OR My family."<p>

Cuervo Sighed With Relief.

"BUT..."

Cuervo Now Sweated At Chris`s Tone Of Voice.

"I Do Want Your Family To "Re-Think" Your Lifestyle...I`m Not Sure About This "Stealing Thing"."

Cuervo Looked At Chris, Then Sighed.

"I Know...I`ve Been Feeling That Way, Too.  
>It Was Because Of My Family Going Out Stealing...That I Wasn`t There When You Needed Me."<p>

"Can`t You Guys Just Steal From Criminals Or Something?"

Cuervo Looked At Chris.

"Well...That DOES Make Sense."

Chris Approached Her.

"Promise Me You`ll Talk To Them...For Me?"

Cuervo Smiled.

"Your My Best Friend, Chris...Of Course I Will."

Chris Smiled.

"Good."

He Hugged Cuervo, Who Hugged Him Back.  
>They Then Blushed As They Parted.<p>

"W-Well...Good-Night, Chris."

"Y-Yeah...You Too."

Cuervo Hovered Up And Flew Away Chris Watched Her Leave, Then Sighed As He Went Back Inside His House.

As Cuervo Flew Back Home...She Heard An Explosion.  
>She Looked Over And Saw a Man Trying To Steal a Woman`s Purse.<p>

The Man Jerked It Away And Made a Run For It.

"HELP!, MY PURSE!"

Cuervo Narrowed Her Eyes.

"i promise, chris..." Whispered Cuervo

The "Raven Girl" Jetted Towards The Man.  
>She Rammed Into Him At Full Speed, Knocking Him Out Cold.<p>

She Then Grabbed The Purse And Ran Back To The Woman.

"Is This Yours, Miss?"

The WOman Took Back Her Purse.

"Oh, Thank You SO MUCH!  
>My Life Savings Was In There."<p>

"Your Welcome." Said Cuervo With a Smile

She Then Ran Over To The KOed Man And Grabbed Him By his Shirt.  
>She Then Flew Up And Jetted Towarded The Police Station.<p>

She Hovered Over And Dropped Him On a Squad Car.  
>Some Officers Got Out And Got Teh Man Off Teh Car.<p>

"Well, Well, Well...What have We Here!  
>We`ve Been After You For Weeks, You Purse Snatcher, You!"<p>

As The Officers Arrested The Man, Cuervo Smiled...Then, Flew Off Towards Home.

"wow...that was kinda fun.  
>maybe there IS something to this "hero thing"."<p>

Cuervo Flew Off At top Speed, Disappearing Into The Night.


	7. Mikla, The Aztec Prince of Doom

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 07: Mikla, The Aztec Prince Of Doom

[Miracle City, Several Weeks Later]

Zoe Aves Got Out Of The School Bus Along Wth Some Other Kids.  
>She Looked And Saw Manny And Frida Run Up To The Bus...Apparently, They Were Late Again.<p>

They Walked Up To the Sidewalk And Zoe Approached Them.

"Hi, Manny..." Said Zoe

Manny Waved At Her."

"Hi, Zoe."

Zoe Then Looked At Frida.

"hello, frida." Said Zoe Darkly

Frida Grumbled a Bit.  
>Despite The Time They Had Spent Together, Frida And Zoe STILL Disliked One Another.<p>

As They Walked Towards School, They Saw a Car Pull Up To The Curb.  
>Manny Knew It Was His Mother`s Car, So They All Stopped For Awhile.<p>

The Car Door Opened...And Chris Johnson Walked Out.

"BYE, CHRIS...HAVE A GOOD DAY!" Said Maria As She Drove Off

Chris Waved As She Drove Off Somewhere.  
>As He Walked Off, He Was Greeted By Manny, Frida And Zoe.<p>

"HI, CHRIS!" Said Zoe, Who Hugged Him

"hey, Z."

Manny Smiled.

"Hey There, Bro...How Are You Doing?"

Chris Shrugged His Shoulders.

"Okay, I guess...  
>My "Unofficial Vacation" Is Now Over, So I`m Off To School."<p>

Frida Laughed a Bit.

As The Four Teens Walked Towards The School...They Were Greeted By Snickering"  
>They Turned To See SPike And His Gang Walk Towards Them.<p>

Though Manny, Frida And Zoe Glared At them...Chris Was Quite Calm.

"I See Your Back, Chris...That`s GOOD, I Missed You." Snickered Spike

Chris Grinned.

"I Missed You To, Spike...And Your Stupid Mohawk."

Spike`s Friends Laughed At This, Which Earned a Snear From Spike.  
>The Punk Kid Then Turned Back To Chris...Who Remained Straight Faced.<p>

"Careful, Spike...We`re Not In The City Streets Anymore.  
>So, If You Rough Me Up TOO MUCH, You May get More Detention...Or Spend Quality Time With Chief Suarez"<p>

Spike Sneared At Chris.

"You Know...I Was Pretty MAD When Your Mother Tried To Press Charges On me In Court."

"And, I Was Pretty Mad That Your Rich Uncle`s Fancy Lawyer Got You Out Of It."

Spike Laughed.

"Yeah, Well...The Lack Of Witnesses Can DO That."

Chris Eyed Him.

"Well, See Ya` Around...VERY SOON."

Spike And His Gang Walked Off.  
>Zoe Placed Her hand On Chris`s Shoulder.<p>

"You Okay, Chris?"

Chris Sighed.

"yeah...i`m fine."

Manny Huffed.

"So Much For "Justice In The World"."

"TELL ME ABOUT!  
>I Still Can`t Believe That Lawyer Convinced Everyone That Spike Was Innocent!" Said Frida In Anger<p>

"Well, That`s What Happens When You Have a Rich Uncle With "Special Friends." Said Chris

Zoe Grumbled.

"I Still Don`t Understand Why We Don`t Just GET EVEN With Him." Said Zoe

Chris Sighed.

"Oh, Believe Me...I Would Want NOTHING MORE Than To Do That!"  
>But, We Gotta Face Fact...Spike Has a Rich Uncle Backing Him Up"<p>

"My Dad Is The Chief Of Police!" Said Frida

Chris Eyes Frida.

"Frida...Even Your Dad Has His Own Bosses.  
>People That He Takes His Orders From...Like Politicians."<p>

"oh..."

"And Besides That...  
>Spike`s Gang Is PRETTY LARGE...I Should Know.<br>If We Try Anything, He`ll Just Try To Get Even With Any One Of Us."

Zoe Sighed.

"it`s not fair...He Shouldn`t Have To Get Away With This!"

"I Know." Said Chris

Zoe Grumbled To herself.

"i just wish there was something we could do..." Said Zoe

Chris Sighed.

"yeah...me too."

At That Moment, The School Bell Rang.

"Well, Time To Go..."

The Four Teens Walked Into The School.

[After School]

Dozens Of Kids Ran Out The School...  
>Manny, Frida, Zoe And Chris Were The Last Ones Out...As Usual.<p>

"So, What Are We Gonna Do, Today?" Asked Chris

"I Was Thinking Of Going To the Carnival!" Said Frida

"Uhhhhh...I Don`t Think So, Already Been There Before.  
>And, I`m Pretty Sure The Guy That Owns The Shooting Gallery Doesn`t Want Me There." Said Chris<p>

Frida Eyed Him, Puzzled.

"Shooting Gallery?"

"don`t ask."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Teens Looked To See Black Smoke Coming From Within The City.

"Well, I Sure Know What I`m Doing Today."

Manny Spun His Belt Buckle, And In a Flash Of Green...Became EL TIGRE.  
>Tigre Grabbed Frida And Grappel Swung Away...Leaving Chris And Zoe Alone.<p>

"That Happens ALOT Around Here..." Said Chris

"Mmmm-Hmmmm..." Nodded Zoe

Zoe And Chris Ran Across The Street And Ducked Into An Alley.  
>Eventually, Black Cuervo Flew Out...Carrying Chris In Her Arms.<p>

"This Is...Kinda Fun." Said Chris

Cuervo Blushed.

"yeah...i know."

Cuervo Soon Landed Within The City...At The Source Of The Trouble.  
>Soon Afterwards, El Tigre And Frida Arrived As Well.<p>

"HOW`D YOU GET HERE BEFORE US!" Exclaimed Frida

Cuervo Smiled.

"Turbo Boosters"

Frida Grumbled.

BOOM!

The Four Teens Looked To See People Running And Screaming From a Thick, Black Smoke From Out Of The Smoke...Was Several Black Skeletons Dressed In Aztec Armor.

"no...it can`t be." Said Manny In Disbelief

The Smoke Soon Cleared...And They All Saw a Monster Towering Over Them.  
>The Monster Was Also Dressed In Aztec Armor...And Atop It Was a Teenager With a Skeletal Arm And Leg.<p>

"MIKLA!" Exclaimed Tigre

Chris Eyed Him.

"What`s a Mikla?"

"The AZTEC PRINCE OF DOOM!" Said Frida

"That`s...Quite a Mouthful."

"It`s No Joke..." Began Cuervo

"He`s VERY DANGEROUS."

The Monster Lowered It`s Head...Allowing Mikla To Get Closer To Everyone.

"Citizens Of Miracle City...  
>Tremble Before The Might And Power Of MIKLA!, THE AZTEC PRINCE OF DOOM!" Shouted Mikla<p>

"Oy!  
>Alright, We Get It!<br>Your An "Aztec Prince Of Something Or Other", No Need To Over Advertise!" Said Chris

Mikla Looked Over To Him.  
>He Motioned His Monster To Lower It`s Head To The Four Teens.<p>

"What`s This?...  
>EL TIGRE, BLACK CUERVO And FRIDA SUAREZ...My Hated Enemies."<p>

Mikla Chuckled, Then Noticed Chris.

"You...I Do Not Know Tell Me, Have I Ever Threaten You before?"

"I`d Think I Would Remember Being Threatened By a Half Skeleton Guy...So, No." Replied Chris

Mikla Chuckled.

"An AMERICAN!  
>My, My, My...I Would NEVER Expect To Find An American Here In Miracle City."<p>

"I`m New In Town...Been Here For Several Months Or So."

Mikla Chuckled.

"Well, If I Were You...I`d Go Back Home.  
>Pretty Soon, There Won`t Be Any Miracle City!"<p>

El Tigre Extended His Metal Claws, While Black Cuervo Charged Her Laser.  
>Frida And Chris Just Stood Still...But, Frida Did Some "Kung-Fu" Stances.<p>

"GET THEM!"

The Monster Launched It`s Massive Hands At Them.  
>a Cloud Of dust Was Created Upon Impact, Imparing Mikla`s Sight.<p>

"BLAST It ALL!"

Mikla Raised His Skeletal Hand And Summoned Some Wind And Blew The Dust Away.  
>But, Instead Of Seeing Tigre And Cuervo Trapped In His Monster`s Hands...He Saw Frida And Chris.<p>

"WHAT IN THE-"

Frida Waved With Her Fingers, Smiling Nervously.

"hi, there...my what big claws you`ve got." Said Frida

"The Better To Crush Us With, Apparently." Said Chris, Feeling a Little "Tight"

At That Moment, Tigre Lauched His Grappel Claw At The Monster`s Hand...Dropping Frida.

"HEY!, WHAT ABOUT ME!"

As If To Answer Him, Cuervo Shot a Blast From Her Laser The Beam Hit The Monster`s Hand...Releasing Chris.

"YOU IDIOTS!  
>YOU DARE TO MAKE A FOOL OUT OF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Yelled Mikla<p>

"Dude...You Don`t Need Help In That Department." Said Frida

Mikla Growled.  
>He Leaped Down And Faced Them...His Eyes Glowing Bright Red.<p>

"Now...I`m Gonna-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYE-RIT-TA-!

Mikla Turned.

"WHAT TH-"

The Aztec Is Knocked To The Ground By a Woman Dressed a Silver Leotard/Sombrello And Red Cape.

"PLATAAAAAAAAAAA !" Shouted The Woman

Chris Looked At The Woman...And His Eyes Widened.

"M-MOM!"

Peligrossa Ran Up To Him.

"YOU OKAY, MOJO!

"I...I Guess So." Said Chris, a Little Unsure

"GOOD!  
>Then, I Am Gonna Make Mikla PAY!"<p>

Peligrosa Ran After Mikla, Making Shrill Battle Cries.

Chris Looked At Tigre.

"It`s The Glove."

"Oh..."

At That Moment, White Pantera And Puma Loco Arrived...As Did Voltura And Lady Gobbler.

"Why Are You Guys Here!" Asked Chris

"We Were All Watching TV..." Said Puma Loco

POW!

Plata Peligrossa Was Knocked Away And Fell Before Everyone.  
>They Turned And Saw An ENRAGED Mikla Approach Them.<p>

"I...Have Had...ENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGH!" Shouted Mikla

Mikla Snapped His Fingers And His Monster Growled At Them.

"Finish Them..."

"!"

The Monster Struck At Them With It`s Fist, But The Riveras And FOF Dodged Out Of the Way.

"LET`S ATTACK IT ALL AT ONCE!" Shouted Peligrossa

"Eh, She May be Crazy...But She Have a Point." Said Puma Loco

"Right!  
>EVERYONE!, LET`S FOLLOW MARIA`S LEAD!"<p>

The FOF Flew Up And Launched Their Lasers At The Monster From Above Puma Loco Launched His Missles And Plata Peligrossa Punched It From The Middle And, El Tigre And White Pantera Attacked With Slashes And Kicks From Below.

This Combined Attack Knocked The Monster Down.  
>The Riveras And FOF Stood Together And Smiled.<p>

"Well, That Was Certainly Easy Enough!" Said White Pantera

The Monster Then Got Up.  
>Causing Everyone To Glare At Pantera.<p>

"Well, It WAS..."

The Monster Launched An Energy Breath Attack At Them.  
>The Force Of the Blast Causes a Tremor That Knocked Everyone Down.<p>

Chris And Frida Got Up And Saw The Rivera`s And FOF Knocked Out Cold.

"oh, this ain`t good..." Said Chris

Mikla Levitated Upwards And Grinned Evily.

"Definetly NOT GOOD." Said Frida

Mikla Charged His Hand And Blasted The Riveras And FOF WIth Energy In a Bright Flash, They Disappeared...Without a Trace.

"HEY!, WHAT DID YOU DO!" Exclaimed Frida

"I Teleported Them Away."

"WHERE TO!"

Mikla Grinned.

"The SAME PLACE I`m Sending You, Ms. Suarez."

Mikla Shot a Beam At frida And She To Disappeared.

"HEY!  
>BRING THEM BACK!" Shouted Chris<p>

"Hmmmmm...Let Me Think." Said Mikla, Pretending To Think

"Okay, How About...NO."

Chris Got Mad.

"LET THEM GO!  
>Or So Help Me, I`ll-"<p>

"YOU`LL DO WHAT!" Exclaimed Mikla WIth a Chuckle.

"What can YOU DO!  
>Not Only Is This NOT YOUR FIGHT, But You Don`t Even Have Any Powers!<br>HA!, You Are Worthless, NOTHING TO ME...So, Just Begone."

Mikla Leaped Onto His Monster And Made Them Both Disappear.  
>Chris Just Stood There As More And More Aztec Skeletons Appeared And Attacked The City.<p>

"great...now what do i do!"


	8. The MASK Returns

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 08: The Mask Returns

[Casa Del Mariachi, Several Hours Later]

Chris Was At Home, Watching The News On TV With Max.

"MIRACLE CITY IS STILL UNDER SIEGE BY MIKLA`S SKELETAL ARMY!" Shouted a Reporter

"With WHITE PANTERA, PUMA LOCO, PLATA PELIGROSSA AND EL TIGRE Captured Along With The "Seemingly" Reformed FLOCK OF FURY, As Well As Chief Suarez`s Daughter: Frida The Entite City Is In a RIOT, As Criminals And Super Villains Run Wild In The City Streets!"

"With Chief Suarez Sending Most Of His Police Forces To Find Mikla`s Stronghold...  
>The Number Of Officers In The City Has Dwindled...And All The Heroes That Are Left Just Isn`t Enough!"<p>

"Truely, This Is Miracle City`s DARKEST HOU-"

CLICK!

Chris Turned Off The TV And Sighs.  
>He Could Hear Explosions And Screams Coming From The City Frim Inside The House.<p>

"What Do I Do?  
>My Family And Friends Are Being Held Captive By That Loonatic!<br>And, The Entire City Is Being Torn Apart...Either By Mikla`s Forces Or It`s Own Criminals."

Max Groaned Sadly Then, The Dog Jumped Off And Walked Away.

"MAX!"

Chris Followed His Dog Up To His Room.  
>Once There, He Saw Max Scratching AT His Closet Door.<p>

Chris Sighed.  
>He Walked Over And Opened The Door...<p>

The First Thing He Saw Was That Green, Wooden Mask.

"No...No, I Can`t!  
>That Thing Is Nothing But Trouble, It Does More Harm Than Good!"<p>

Max Made a Noise At Chris.

"MAX!  
>One Of The Reasons I Came To Mexico Was Leave My Old Life Behind And Start a New Life!<br>The Only Reason I Kept That Mask With Me Was So Nobody Else Could Use It!"

Max Bit Into Chris`s Pants And Tugged At It.  
>Chris Thought Long And Hard About This.<p>

"Well...I Suppose I`ve Never Done Any REAL HARM When I Used It.  
>Okay, So I Gave a Few Cops Some Wedgies And Gave People I Don`t Like Exploding Cigars..."<p>

Chris Actually Chuckled.

"actually, that was kinda funny."

Max Made Another Noise.  
>Chris Sighed Deeply As He Grabbed The Wooden Mask.<p>

"There really isn`t another choice.  
>I`ll do it...but I`ll probably hate myself in the morning."<p>

He Looked Inside It And Saw a Shimmer Of Green Light.  
>Chris Glanced Back At MAx, Who Just Looked At Him.<p>

"Just This Once...Then, I`m Done."

Max Barked Happily.

Chris Sighed As He Held Up The Max.

"oh, i can`t believe i`m doing this again..."

Chris Brought The Mask Closer To His Face.  
>The Wooden Mask Soon Came In Contact With Him...<br>And, Quickly Stretched Across His Face And wrapped Around His Head.

Chris Groaned As The Mask Glowed Bright Green.  
>Then, WIth The Sound Of a Thunderclap...Chris Began To Spin Around In a Green Tornado.<p>

Chris Zipped Around Like Hyperfast Tasmanian Devil, Giggling Like a Madman.  
>Once Chris Finally Stopped...He Was Transformed Into SOmething Else Entirely.<p>

His Head Was Now Green, With Yellow/Green Eyes.  
>His Hair Was Ginger Orange And He Was Wearing a Bannana Yellow Zoot Suit With a Purple Tie That Had Green Polka Dots And a Green Hankerchief With Purple Polka Dots In His Pocket.<p>

He Wasn`t Chris Johnson...Now, He Was THE MASK!

Mask Put On a Yellow Fedora With a Black Strap And White Feather Pinned Into It.  
>He Grinned a Large Smile, a Crazed Look On His "Cartoonish" Face.<p>

"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSMOKIN`!" Said Mask

Mask Then Laughed Crazily.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK!  
>I`ve Been So Out Of It For So Long, I feel Like I Have a CRICK IN MY NECK!"<p>

Mask Grabbed His Head.  
>He Pulled And Lifted IT Up Off His Shoulders He Turned It Around, Then Slammed It Back On.<p>

"YEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW-WOW!" Exclaimed Teh Mask

"MAN, DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO BE BACK IN ACTION!"

Mask "Zipped" Out Of His Room And Over To The TV.  
>He Flipped It On And Saw The News.<p>

"MIRACLE CITY IS STILL UNDER ATTACK!" Yelled a Reporter

"BOR-ING!" Said Mask

Mask Flipped The Channel And Saw SPONGBOB SQUARPANTS Playing.

"WHAT THE-  
>WHAT THE HECK IS THIS!"<p>

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII`M READY!" Said The Sponge On TV

"THIS Is a Cartoon!  
>Where In The Sam Heck Is LOONEY TUNES, TOM AND JERRY And All That TEX AVERY STUFF!"<p>

Mask finally Turned Teh TV Off.

"Oh, Well...  
>I Guess I`ll Have To Go Out And Save The City From Destruction...Not To Mention My Family And Friends."<p>

Mask Threw The Remote Away, Which Was Followed By a Cat Yowling.

"But, FIRST..."

Mask Did a Stance And Zipped Away At Full Speed Leaving a "Cookie Cutter" Hole Shaped Like Himself In The Window.

[Meanwhile, At a Warehouse]

Spike And His Gang Sat Around There Hideout.  
>They Were Drinking Soda That They Bought From Stolen Lunch Money, Laughing At Each Others BAD JOKES.<p>

"You Know What Boys? Began Spike

The Guys Looked At Him.

"I Think We Should Totally Do Something "Creative" To That Gringo, Chris."

"Like What?" Asked a Kid

Spike Grinned Sadisticly.

"How About He Kidnap Him, Tie Him Up And Leave Him In Calavera...  
>By This Tiem Tommarrow...He`ll Be Needing ANOTHER Trip To The Hospital, Heh-Heh."<p>

The Guys Laughed AT This.

"Great Plan, Spike!"

CRASH!

Spike And The Gang Looked To See Their Door Forced Open.  
>They Saw a Teenager In a Yellow Zoot Suit WIth His Face Hidden By a Yellow Fedora Standing There.<p>

"Shut The Windows And Lock The Doors..." Began The Teenager

"Because THE MASK...Has Come To Town." Said Mask, Who Moved His Hat Up...Exposing His Crazed Exression

Spike Gazed AT This Strange Character.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" Exclaimed Spike

Mask Walked In, a "Joker-Equse" Look On His Face.

"Oh, nobody...Just Someone Whose Come For Some PAYBACK!"

"Payback?"

"Yes, Sir-Ry...  
>You`ve Been Tormenting People For FAR TOO LONG, PAL...Time Somebody Taught You a "Lesson".<p>

Spike Smirked.

"Is That So?"

Spike Snapped His Fingers.  
>His Gang Stood Up And Surrounded Mask.<p>

"Boys...Teach Him Some Manners."

The Punk Kids Took Out Their Weapons: Crowbars, Metal Pipes, Basebal Bats And Chains.

Mask Just Smiled Widely.

"OOOOOH!, I See You Have Your Toys.  
>Now, Give Me a Minute While I Get Mine!"<p>

Mask Reached Into His Pocket.  
>After Digging Awhile, He Began To Pull Out a Pole...Which Was Soon Revealed To be a Large MALLET.<p>

Mask Wielded The Mallet With a Crazed Smile.

"IT`S HAMMER TIME!"

Mask Spun Around In a Green Twister And Charged After The Gang.  
>When The Punks Tried To Strike At Mask...They Got Caught In The Cyclone And Were Thrown Across The Room Several Others Got Struck By Mask`s Spinning Mallet...And Were Knocked Out Cold By The Impact.<p>

Mask Stopped Spinning And Laughed.

"IS THAT ALL YOU PEA-BRAINS GOT!"

Several Of the Punk Kids Surrounded The Mask.  
>They Leaped Up And Piled Onto The Mask, Viciously Beating Him.<p>

However, Mask Wasn`t In The Pile...He Was Standing From Afar Watching Them.

"WHAT A PEFORMANCE!"

Mask Clapped His Hands And Whistled Loudly.

"YOU IDIOTS!  
>GET UP, HE`S OVER THERE!" Shouted Spike Angrily<p>

The Punks Stopped And Looked At Mask, Who Waved At Them Innocently They Gritted Their Teeth With a Growl And Charged After Him.

Mask Zipped Away From Them As They Chased Him.

"Heh-Heh-Heh...I Do This Kinda Thing ALL THROUGH THE CHAPTER." Said Mask

Mask Twirled Around And Became a Traffic Officer.  
>He Faced The Gang And Blew His Whistle Loudly...The Gang Of Punks Stopped.<p>

"RED LIGHT!" Said Mask, His Eye Glowing Bright Red

The Punks Waited.  
>Mask`s Eyes Then Glowed Bright Green.<p>

"GREEN LIGHT!, Now You Can Go..."

The Punks Ran Past Mask.  
>After Several Minutes...They Stopped.<p>

"Hey, Wait a Second..." Said One Of The Punk Kids

"I Think That Was Green Face."

"YOU AIN`T JUST WHISTLING DIXIE!" Shouted Mask, Who Appeared Suddenly

Mask Then Stuck Out His Tounge.

"BEEP! BEEP!" Said Mask, Who Zipped Away

"GET HIM YOU IDIOTS!"

The Gang Of Kids Ran After Mask...WHo Was Standing Still.

"Well, Looks Like You Got Me..."

Mask Zipped Over To Them.

"Okay, I Surrender..."

Mask Reached Into His Pocket And Took Our a Christmas Present.

"Here Ya` Go..."

One Of The Kids Took It.  
>a Card On teh Gift Read: TO THE PUNK KID, LOVE MASK.<p>

"Gee...Thanks."

The Kid Unwrapped It And Took Out What Was Inside: a Warhead WIth a Caption That Read "ENJOY!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Warhead Exploded, Knocking The Gang Away They Lay All Over The Room...Out Cold And Groaning In Pain.

"I Might-a Over Did It a Tad With The Warhead...a Couple Sticks Of Dynamite Would Of Done It."

Spike Leaped Down And Approached Mask.

"you lousy, no good, stinkin..."

Spike Grabbed a Metal Bat And Took a Swing At Mask.  
>The Bat Hit Mask Square In Teh Head...Stretching His Skull Into AN Imprint Of It.<p>

Spike Stepped Back In Shock.

"w-w-what?  
>no, it`s not p-possible..."<p>

Mask`s Head Returned To It`s Normal Shape.  
>He Snatched The Bat Away From Him.<p>

"Give It Up, Pal!"

Mask Began Violently Hitting Himself In The Head With The Bat.

"I...CAN`T...GET...HURT!"

Mask Tossed The Bat Away.

"So, You Can`t Beat Me To Death THIS TIME!"

Spike Stepped Backwards a Bit.

"T-T-THIS TIME!"

Mask Smiled.  
>He Grasped The Back Of His Head And Pulled Hard.<br>As He Did, a Twirl Of Green Surrounded Him...And Mask Changed Into CHRIS JOHNSON.

"Surprise..." Said Chris In a Dark Tone

"C-C-CHRIS!  
>Y-Y-YOUR GREEN FACE!"<p>

Chris Approached Spike, Who Still Stepped Back In Fear.

"Spike, For YEARS I Have Stood By...While EVil And Cruel People Like YOU Get Away With Murder While, Good And Honest People Like Me Are Treated Like Human Punching Bags...OR DOORMATS!"

Chris Glared At him.

"Well, NOT ANYMORE!  
>I`m Sick Of Waiting For Justice That Will Never Come...I`m Taking Matters Into My OWN HANDS."<p>

Chris Put The Wooden Mask Back On.  
>In a Green Whirlwind, He Changed Back Into The Mask.<p>

"You Know What They Always Say, Spikey: "Don`t Get Mad...GET EVEN!"

Mask Approached Spike, Grinning Like a Madman.

"W-W-WAIT!  
>DON`T DO THIS!"<p>

"And, WHY NOT?"

Spike Darted His Eyes.

"I`ll...I`ll..."

Spike Dug Into His Pocket.

"I`LL GIVE YOU MONEY!" Said Spike, Offering a Handful Of Cash

Mask Snatched The Dollars...Then, Lit Them On Fire With a Lighter.  
>He Threw The Smoldering Cash Away And Stomped On It...Reducing It To Ash.<p>

"Got Another Reason?"

"I`ll...I`ll..."

SPike Got AN Idea.

"You Lay a Hand On Me...AND, I`LL TELL THE WORLD YOU SECRET!"

Mask Grinned.

"Go Ahead...TELL.  
>Then, I`ll Be Stalking You for The Rest Of Your Life!<br>You`ll NEVER Have a Moments Peace...I`l Make SURE OF THAT!  
>You`ll Just a Lifetime Of "Looking Over Your Shoulder" And "Sleeping With One Eye Open."<p>

Spike Shivered In Fear As Mask Approached Him.  
>In a Split Secon, Spike Pulled a Knife And Stabbed Mask In The Chest.<p>

Mask Just Looked At Him, Not Showing Any Pain.  
>He Grabbed The Knife And Pulled It Out...There Was NO BLOOD.<p>

"Oh, I Forgot To Tell Ya`...I Can`t Be Killed, Either.

"!"

Mask Grabbed Spike`s Shirt And Glared At Him With His Bright Yellow Eyes.

"Why So Scared, Spike?  
>Your SO BRAVE When Your Picking On Helpless Kids...<br>Heh!, Guess Your TRUE COLORS Come Out When Faced With Someone Whose TOUGHER Than You: Yellow."

Mask Chuckled.

"Don`t You Think It`s IRONIC, Spike?  
>You Broke My Bones And Left Me For Dead...Now, I`m Gonna RETURN THE FAVOR!" Said Mask, Pulling a Gun<p>

"NO!  
>P-P-PLEASE!, DON`T!"<p>

Mask Aimed The Gun At Spike.

"3...2...1."

Mask Pulled The Trigger.

POP!

Spike Flinched, Then Noticed The Gun Shot Out a Flagpole With The Word "BANG!" Printed On It.

"Gotcha...Heh Heh Heh." Said Mask

Spike Sighed With Relief.

"For a Second...I Really Thought You Were Gonna Kill Me."

"Oh, No...I Don`t Kill, It Isn`t My Style."

Mask Then Smiled Sinisterly.

"But, THIS IS!"

Mask Squeezed The Trigger Again.  
>This Time, The Gun SHot Out a Green Gas At Spike.<p>

Spike Hacked And Coughed.  
>Then, He Started To Giggle...Which became a Crazy Laughter.<br>Before Long, Spike Fell To the Ground...a Wide Smile Was Frozen On His Face.

Mask Looked Down At Him.  
>Spike`s Eyes Blinked, Indicating he Was Still Alive...But, he Was Paralysed.<p>

"That`s What Every Comic Loves To See: a Nice, Big SMILE."

Mask Turned To See What Remained Of Spike`s Gang Looking At Him In Terror.  
>Mask Grinned, Then Zipped Over To The Frightened Teenagers.<p>

"Okay, Here`s How It`s Gonna Be..." Began The Mask

"Your Gonna Go Straight To The Police An CONFESS Spike`s Crime And, Your ALSO Gonna Lay Off The Bullying...UNDERSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!"

The Kids Nodded Rapidly.

"GOOD!  
>Because If You Don`t Do As I Say...I`m Gonna Get MAD.<br>And, When I get Mad...I Do Stuff Like THIS To People." Said Mask, Holding Up Spike

"W-W-WE WON`T!  
>WE PROMISE!, R-RIGHT FELLAS!"<p>

The Other Teens Nodded In Agreement.

"Good.  
>Well, BE SEEIN` YA!"<p>

Mask Zipped Away, Leaving Another "Cookie Cutter" Hole In The Wall.

[Outside]

"Well, That Was Easy Enough..." Said Mask As He Straightened His Tie

"Now...what was i suppose to do?"

BOOM!

Mask Looked Over And Saw Smoke Blowing From Miracle City.

"Oh, RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!  
>I Have To Save The City And Rescue My Loved Ones!"<p>

Mask Took a Stance And Zipped Away, Running At Super Speed Towards The City.

[Later]

As The Army Of Skeletal Aztec`s Attacked The City, Dozens Of Criminals And Villains Began Looting It.  
>Police And Superheroes Tried Their Best To Defend Against This...But, Were Not So Lucky.<p>

"BLAST IT ALL!" Shouted Chief Suarez In Anger

"NOTHING WE DO IS MAKING ANY DIFFERENCE!"

"It Would Be Easier If You Hadn`t Of Sent Most Of Our Troops To Find Mikla`s Lair, Chief." Said a Trooper

Chief Suarez Glared At Him.

"Not That I Am Questioning For Decision, Sir!"

BOOM!

The Policia Troopers Watched As THE INDUSTRIALIST, COSMIC CLEOPATRA And SILVER SOMBRERO Fell Out Of The Sky And Landed Right Before Them...Completly Knocked Out.

"CHIEF!  
>That Was The "League Of Alliance Society"!" Exclaimed a Trooper<p>

"i know..."

"But, Their The International Superhero Team...THEY NEVER GET BEATEN!"

"I Know."

"They Were Out Last resort!, Now We-

"I KNOW!" Shouted Suarez

At That Moment, Several Skeletal Aztec`s Surrounded Them.  
>Chief Suarez Took a Battle Stance, While His Troopers Hid Behind Him.<p>

As The Aztec`s Approached Him...a Green Tornado Ripped Through The City Streets.  
>It Neared The Crooks (Who Now Turned Their Attention To It) And Stopped.<p>

They All Saw a Green Faced Teenager In a Yellow Zoot Suit.

"Hey, Boys!" Said The Mask

"WHO ARE YOU!" Said a Trooper

Mask Smiled.

"Ya Know, I Was Hoping he Was Ask..." Said Mask To No One

He Then Reached Into His Pocket And Pulled Out a Record Player.  
>he Layed It Down, Then took Out a Record From His Pocket.<p>

The Label Read: "MERRY-GO-ROUND, BROKE DOWN.  
>(LOONEY TUNES THEME)<br>COPYRIGHT OF WARNER BRO."

Mask Put The Record On And Placed The Needle.  
>After a few Minutes, Carvival Style Music Began To Play.<p>

Mask Started a Crazy Dance And Sang To The Tune.

"~JUST CALL ME MISTER MASK...I`M THE GREATEST SUPERHERO AROUND!  
>BECAUSE, WHAT I CAN DO IS IMPOSSIBLE AND MAKES YOU GO INSANE~"<p>

"HOO HOO!  
>HOO-HOO...HOO HOO!"<p>

The Crooks Charged After Mask, He Continued Singing And Dancing.

"~THE MERRY-GO-ROUND, BROKE DOWN...AND, IT MADE THE DARDEST SOUND!~"

The Skeletal Aztec`s Tried To Attack, But Mask Did Punched As Kicks In The Form Of a Dance.

"BEEP-BEEP, BOOP-BEEP BOOM-BOOM, BOW-BOW, WHOOP-WHOOOOOO!"

Mask began To Spin In a Tornado, Sucking The Aztec`s Into The Cyclone.

"~ROUND...AND ROUND, AND ROUND AND ROUND WE GO!~ WHEN...WE`LL STOP: HECK, EVEN I DON`T KNOW!~"

Mask Stops Spinning And The Skeletal Aztec`s Fell Down In Pieces, Dazed And Confused.

"~THE MERRY-GO-ROUND, BROKE DOWN...BUT, YOU WON`T SEE ME FROWN!  
>BECAUSE I`M AS LOONEY AS I CAN BE AND I`LL DROVE YOU INSANE!"~<p>

Mask Zipped Over To The Pile Of Aztec Bones He Took Out Chop Sticks And Starting Rattling Their Skulls Like Drums To The Tune Of The Music.

After a Few Minutes Of This, Mask Threw The Sticks Away And Zipped Away.

"The Merry-Go-Round...BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKE down."

The Music Stopped And Mask Did a Bow.

"Thank You, Thank You...I`ll Be Here ALL DA WEEK!"

a Policia Trooper Clapped His Hands, But Chief Suarez Growled At Him.  
>Chief Suarez Marched Over To Mask With His Troopers.<p>

"Who Are You!"

Mask Zipped Over To Him.

"Wasn`t You Listening To The Song, Earlier?...I`m: THE MASK!"

"Are You a Hero?...Or Villain?

"Well, Most Of The Time I`m a Hero...But, SOMETIMES-"

Mask Reaches Over And Pulls Chief Suarez`s Underwear Over His Head.

"I DO THAT!  
>HA! HA! HAAAAAAAAAA!, SOMEBODY STOP ME!"<p>

Mask Zipped Away At Super Speed.  
>Chief Suarez Tore His Underwear Off His Head And Glared At The Speed Trail.<p>

"GET THAT HOMBRE!" Shouted Suarez

Soon, Polica Squad Cars Were Pursuing Mask.  
>He Was Running At Super Speed (In Way Like ROADRUNNER And SPEEDY GONZALES)<p>

Mask Zipped Into An Alley And Hid For Awhile.  
>He Watched As Teh Squad cars Passed By.<p>

"WHEW!  
>Okay, I`m Gonna Need My Own Set Of Wheels..."<p>

Mask Walked Out The Alley And Saw a Car Speed Over And Crash Into a Building.  
>The Driver Got Out And Ran In Terror...Mask Smiled As An Idea Crossed His Mind.<p>

He Zipped Over To The Abandoned Car.  
>Got Inside And Drove It In Reverse, Away From The Brick Wall.<p>

The Car Was Pretty Damaged Up...And Was Also Dull Grey In Color.

"Oh, I can`t Be Seen In THIS THING!"

Mask Hed Up his Hand, Which Was Glowing With Green Energy He Touched The dashboard...And The Car Began To Morph.

The Car Was Now a Yellow Muscle Car With Green Flames At The Front And Above The Wheels.  
>The Windows Were Tinted Green And The Headlight Were Yellow With a "Green Swirly" Pattern On It Also, The Grill Of The Car Looked Liek Teeth And Resembled a Wide Grin.<p>

"NOW, WE`RE COOKIN!"

Mask Grabbed a Stick Shift And Moved It Up From "Slow", "Normal", "Fast" To "ARE YOU CRAZY!"

The "Maskmobile" Sped Away And Raced Through The Road.

[Elsewhere]

Some Criminals Ran Out Of a Jewery Store, Carrying The Stolen Gems.

"OOOOOH!  
>Such Pretty Jewels!" Said a Large Bandito<p>

a Short One Hit Him On The Head.

"SHAD UP!"

"Oh, Sorry Boss..."

Just Then, The Two Saw a Giant "Jack-In-The-Box".  
>They Walked Up And Looked At The Card Tied To It.<p>

TURN THE LEVER FOR A SURPRISE.

The Large Bandito Turned The Lever.  
>a Music Box Tune To "Pop Goes The Weasel" Plays.<p>

Before The Last Note, The Lip Pops Open And a Green Faced Jester Pops Out And Whacks The Short Bandito With a Mallet, Flattening Him.

The Large Bandito Walked Over And Lifted The Mallet Off The Short Bandito.

"Gee...You Alright, Boss?"

The Short Man Punched Him In The Jaw.

"SHAD UP!"

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The Two Bandito`s Looked To See Mask Standing By a Tree, Laughing At Him.

"I Just Knew ONE OF YOU Would Be Dumb Enough To Fall For That Trick!"

"GET HIM!"

The Two Bandito`s Ran After Mask, Who Zipped Away.  
>They Chased Mask Through a Woods...Til Mask Ran Inside a Shed.<p>

"HA!  
>WE`VE GOT HIM CORNERED!"<p>

The Two Bandito`s Ran Inside The Shed.  
>However, It Was Pitch Black Inside...<p>

"DARN IT!  
>I CAN`T SEE A BLASTED THING!" Exclaimed The Short Bandito<p>

"Here, Use My Lighter." Said Mask

The Short Bandito Took The Lighter.  
>While He Tried To Turn It On, Mask Sneaked Out Of The Shed.<p>

"Stupid Thing Won`t Work!"

"KEEP TRYING!" Said Mask, He Zipped Away.

"THERE!  
>Got It..."<p>

"Hey, Boss...What Does "TNT" Spell?"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Shed Exploded And The Two Bandito`s Walked Out, Covered In Soot And Singed Clothes.

"I Think You May Of Used Too Strong-a Fluid..." Said The Short Bandito Befor Fainting

Mask Chuckled.

"Well, I`ve Had My Fun For The day...Now, For Mikla!"

Mask Paced Around.

"Now, Let`s See...Where Could His Hideout Be?"

Mask Got An Idea.

"WAIT!  
>I KNOW!"<p>

Mask Reached Into His Pocket And Pulled Out a Book.

"The Big Book Of Things Your NOT SUPPOSE TO KNOW!"

Mask Flipped Through The Pages.

"now, let`s see here...  
>the passcodes to get into area 51, what is at the other end of a black hole what the tooth fairy REALLY does with those molars..."<p>

Mask Finally Found a Page.

"OH!, HERE WE ARE!  
>The Location Of Mikla`s Secret Lair."<p>

Mask Reads The Book.

"Okay!, Sounds Simple Enough."

Mask Put The Book Back In His Pocket And Whistle Loudly.  
>His Maskmobile Soon Drove Up And He Got Inside.<p>

"Next Stop...MIKLA`S LAIR!"

a Large, Jet Turbine Popped Out Of The Trunk Of the Car.  
>It Blasted It`s Thrusters And The Car Zoomed Away...Breaking The Sound Barrier.<p> 


	9. Mikla Vs The Mask

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 09: Prince Milka Vs. The Mask

[Mikla`s Lair, The Throne Room]

The Riveras, The Aves And Frida Were Chained From Their Arms To Their Legs Deep Within The Underground Lair.  
>They Were In Their Civilian Forms, Since Mikla Took Their Objects Of Power...<p>

Namely: White Pantera`s Bronze Boots (And His Facemask, As Well)  
>Puma Loco`s Golden Sombrero Of Chaos El Tigre`s Belt Plata Peligrossa`s Glove And, The Flock Of Fury`s Technology (Their Wrist Watches)<p>

Though Frida Had No Real Powers, Mikla Took Away Her Goggles Anyway...Just To Spite Her.

As The Heroes/Villains (And Frida) Were In chains...Mikla Walked In.  
>He Was Carrying An Orb That Contained Their Items And Snickered Evily.<p>

"Enjoying Yourselves?"

Manny Eyed The Aztec Prince.

"No, Not Really..."

"OH!, REALLY!" Said Mikla, Pretending To be Upset

"Well, Can I get You Anything?  
>Some Food, a Refreshing Drink..."<p>

"Freedom Would Be Nice." Said Grandpapi Rivera

Mikla Pretended To Think.

"Oh, SORRY...All Outta That, I`m Afraid." Said Mikla With An Evil Snear

Mikla Walked Past them And Sat On His Throne, Laying The Mysic Orb Next To Him.  
>He Then Snapped His Skeletal Fingers And Created AN ENergy Window That SHowed Miracle City In Chaos.<p>

"Get a Load Of that..." Began Mikla

"It`s Already Been HOURS SInce I Captured You And Already The City Is Falling Apart!  
>Not Enough Heroes And Police Around...And All The Villains ARe Just making Things Worse."<p>

Mikla Chuckled.

"Why, AT This Rate...I Won`t Even Need To Send Out More Skeletal Soldiers!  
>The Paniced Citizens Will Destroy Their Own City For Me, HA! HA! HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"<p>

Mikla Eyed His Captives.

"Oh, But That Doesn`t Leave All Of You OFF THE HOOK!  
>I Am Still Owed My REVENGE For What EL TIGRE, BLACK CUERVO And FRIDA Did To Me Last Time I Was Here."<p>

"You Have No One To Blame But YOURSELF, MIKLA!" Shouted Manny

"Your The One Who Captured My Father And Grandpapi In The FIRST PLACE!"

Mikla Scoffed.

"Only Because They Were Getting In My Way...Like YOU And Your FRIENDS DID!"

Carmelita Groaned.

"If Your Going To Kill Us, Why Not Get It Over With..."

"Oh, I WILL...But Only AFTER You Bear Witness To The Destruction Of Your Cit-"

Mikla Then Noticed Something In The Energy Window.

"wait a minute..."

Mikla Waved His Hand, Increasing The Size Of The "Screen"  
>He And EVeryone Else Saw a Green Faced, Ginger Haired Teenager In a Zoot Suit Chasing Down Mikla`s Skeletal Army And Many Miracle City Criminal With a Large Mallet.<p>

"What STUPIDITY Is This!" Exclaimed Mikla

"WHO DARES TO DISRUPT MY INVASION ON MIRACLE CITY!"

As If To Answer, a Large Object Bursts Through a Wall.  
>The Energy WIndow Disappears As Mikla Is Knocked Down.<p>

He Looked To See a Crazy Looking Green And Yellow Before Him.  
>The Door Swings Open And a Green Tornado Zips Out Of teh Car And Zig-Zags Around a Bit.<p>

The Twister Stops And The Zoot Suited Teen Stands There.

"MIKLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, I`m HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!" Said Mask, Imitating Desi Ornez

The Riveras, Aves And Frida Eyes Him.

"Who The Heck Is That Guy?" Asked Manny

"Whoever He Is...He`s Got a Cool Suit!" Said Rudolfo

"I LIKE HIS HAIR!  
>Plus, The Green Face Is Pretty Rad, Too!" Said Frida<p>

Mask Looks Over At The Riveras, Aves And Frida.

"Whoa...  
>Either You Guys Are Being Held Prisoner Or This Is a New Type Of Detention For School."<p>

Mask Reached Into his Pocket And Pulls Out a Remote.  
>He Pressed a Large, Red Button And The Riveras, Aves And Frida Are Released.<p>

"Whoever You Are...YOU`VE JUST MADE A BIG MISTAKE!" Threatened Mikla

Mask Zipped Over To Mikla.

"The Name Is MASK, Esquire...  
>I Also Go By The Alias Of "Green Head" And "Green Face", But I Prefer MASK."<p>

Mask Reaches Into His Pocket And Takes Out a Bundle Of Cigars.

"Now, Have a Couple Cigars...Their CUBAN!"

Mask Stick Them Into Mikla`s Mouth He Snarls At Mask, Who Lights The Cigars Up With a Match.

"Oh, By the Way...smokin`."

BOOM!

The Cigars Explode.

"Is Hazardous To Your Health!, HA! HAAAAAAA!"

Frida Laughs Out Loud.

"Dude!  
>That IS SO FUNNY!"<p>

Mikla Grits His Teeth.

"YOU DARE TO MOCK ME!  
>I AM MIKLA!, THE AZTEC PRINCE OF DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"<p>

Mask Twirls Around And Appears As Mikla.

"I Am "MASKLA, THE AZ-TICK PRINCE OF STUPID"!"

Mikla`s Eyes Glow Bright Red.  
>He Fires a Mystic Energy Beam At Mask...Who Is Knocked Into a Wall, Flattened.<p>

"whoa...kid packs one heck of a punch!"

Mask Returns To Normal.  
>He Then Zips Over To The Throne And Takes The Mystice Orb.<p>

"OOOH!, What`s This Thing!"

"THAT`S THE ORB CONTAINING OUR OBJECTS OF POWER!" Exclaimed Manny

"GIMME THAT THING!" Shouted Mikla

Mask Grinned.  
>He Spinned Around And Moldeled The Throne Room To Resemble a Basketball Court.<p>

Mask And Mikla Were Dressed In Basketball Player Uniforms While Maria, Frida And The Aves Family Were Dressed As Cheerleaders.  
>And, The Rivera Men Were Sitting On a Row Of Chairs.<p>

Mask Spun The Orb Like a Basketball.

"Let`s Do Some Drills." Said Mask, Imitating Michael Jordon

Mikla Snarled At Him.  
>He Charged After Mask, Who Dribbled The Orb And Evaded Mikla`s Attacks.<p>

Frida Was Actually Waving Her Pom-Poms Around, While Zoe Just Stared Blankly The Rivera Men Waved Their Flags, Since They Had Nothing Else To Do At The Moment.

"MASK-MASK HE`S OUR GUY!  
>IF HE FAILS, I`M GONNA CRY!" Cheered Frida<p>

"ra-ra." Muttered Zoe

Mask Dribbled The Orb Rappidly Towards The Basket Goal

"I`M GOING FOR A SLAM-DUNK!"

Mask Leaped Up And Dunked The Orb Through The Basket.  
>The Orb Hit The Floor Like a Cannonball, Shattering Upon Impact.<p>

"YES!"

The Riveras And Aves Ran Over And Grabbed Their Objects Of Power And Instantly Transformed Frida Just Walked Over, Grabbed Her Goggles And Put Them On.

"Thank Goodness...  
>I Felt So "Undressed" Without My Goggles!"<p>

Mikla Snarled Angrily.

"YOU`LL PAY FOR THIS, YOU FREAK!"

"You Take Cash, Check Or Credit?" Asked Mask

Mikla Was Boiling With Anger.  
>Puma Loco Activated His Missle Launched And Aimed It At Him.<p>

Mask Just Laughed At Him.

"YOU CALL THOSE WEAPONS!"

"I`d Like To See You Do Better." Said Puma Loco

"As a Matter Of Fact..."

Mask Reached Into His Pocket And Took Out To Hand Guns.  
>He Pressed Buttons With Is Thumb, And Several Other Guns And Weapons Popped Out Of Them.<p>

"I Call These My BIG GUNS!"

Mask Pulled The Trigger, And Fired Several Shots At One Time...Causing Big Explosions.

"Oooooh...That IS Good."

Mikla Emerged From The Smoke, Snarling At Them.  
>Mask`s Jaw Dropped To The Ground...Then, Returned To Normal.<p>

"Sturdy Fella, Isn`t He?" Said Mask

"I`M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Mask Spun Around And Became a Therapist.  
>Mikla Was Laying Down On a Long Chair.<p>

"Now, Tell Me...When Did You Start Feeling This Need To KILL Your Enemies?  
>Could It Possably Be Rooted In Your Childhood?...Tell Me All About It."<p>

Mikla Gritted His Teeth.  
>He Created An Energy Wave, Blasted Mask Away.<p>

He Walked Over And Grabbed Mask By His Shirt.

"WHO ARE YOU!  
>HOW ARE YOU DOING THESE THINGS!"<p>

"Wouldn`t You Like To Know..." Said Mask, Taunting Mikla

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

"I Gotta Secret For Ya: LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

Mikla Chuckled.

"HA!  
>You Think I`m Dumb ENough To fall For That Tri-<p>

POW!

Mikla Is Hit In The Back Of His Head By Tigre`s Grappel Punch Forcing Him To Release Mask From The Shock Of The Impact.

"tsk-tsk-tsk...I Tried To Warn Him."

Mask Zipped Over To The Group.

"Now, Let`s Get outta Here While The "Getins" Good!"

"RIVERAS DON`T RUN FROM A FIGHT!" Said El Tigre

"Famous Last Words...  
>Just Like: "What Can Possably Go Wrong?" or "Nothing Bad Is Going To Happen."<p>

"Manny, Mask Is Right...We Need To Regroup." Said White Pantera

Tigre Sighed.

"fine..."

"OKAY!  
>EVERYONE INTO THE CAR!"<p>

Mask Pushes Everyone Inside The Backseat Of His Car.  
>Which For Some Reason Was Bigger INSIDE Than OUTSIDE.<p>

Mask Zipped Into The Driver`s Seat.

"Time To Go!"

Mask Pushed a Button That Read "GET OUTTA DODGE!"  
>The Car Shifts Into a Jetplane And Blasts Off Out Of The Building.<p>

Mikla Got Up And Watched Them Leave..."

"that blasted freak...  
>nobody makes a fool out of mikla, NOBODY!"<p>

[Later, In Miracle City]

Chief Suarez Was Driving His Squad Car Around The City.

"That Blasted Hombre Mask Must Be Around Here Somewhe-"

CRASH!

Mask`s Jet Crashes Into Suarez`s Car.  
>The Door Opened And Mask Jumps Out, Lands On The Ground...Then Pulls a Ripcord His Parachute Shoots Out And Covers Him Up...He Quickly Rips It Up And Stands Up.<p>

"Well...  
>They Say Any Landing You Can Walk Away From Is a Good One."<p>

The Riveras, FOF And Frida Jump Out Of The Jet.  
>They Walked Towards Mask...But Then, a Figure Grabs His Neck.<p>

a Very Angry Chief Suarez Glares At Mask.

"NOW I`VE GOT YOU, GREEN HEAD!"

"Chief Suarez!  
>What a Pleasant Surprise..."<p>

"DAD!, STOP IT!  
>HE SAVE US FROM MIKLA!"<p>

"Yeah, "Dad"...Don`t Hurt The Hero!"

Suarez Sighs.  
>He Releases Mask, Who Stand Up...Unharmed.<p>

"Thanks "Chiefy"...  
>Oh, By The Way...What`s That?" Said Mask, Pointing At Something<p>

"What`s What!"

As Chief Suarez Turns His Head, Mask Grabs His Underwear And Pulls It Over His Head.

"HA! HA!  
>Sorry...I Couldn`t Resist!"<p>

Frida Covers Her Mouth, Trying Not To Laugh.

"I`m Sorry...  
>I Know He`s My father, But...HA! HA! HAAAAAAAA!"<p>

At That Moment, There Was a Loud Explosion.  
>Everyone Looked To See Mikla Levitating Above Them.<p>

"Oh, Great...YOU AGAIN!"

Mikla`s Eyes Are Glowing Bright Red.

"Your Going To PAY For My Insult, Mask!"

"Haven`t We Been Through This ALREADY!" Said Mask, Slightly Annoyed

Mikla Fired AN Energy Blast At Mask Who dodged It And Caused Suarez To Get Singed.

"i really hate that hombre..." Said Chief Suarez, Just Before Fainting

"Awwww...Poor Chief Suarez.  
>He Fall Down And Go BOOM!" Said Mask In a Baby-Like Voice<p>

Mikla Continued To Fire Mystic Bolts At Mask Who Quite Easily Dodged Them With Lightning Fast Motion.

"HOLD STILL YOU FREAK!"

"Oh, Nope-Nope-Nope-Nope-Nope...Don`t Wanna." Said Mask in a Dumb Voice

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Mask Twirls Around And Becomes a Cowboy.

"Alright, Hombre...DRAW!"

Mask Quickly Takes Out a Pencil And Paper And Draws a Picture.  
>It Turns Out To Be a Picture Of Mask Whacking Mikla With a Mallet.<p>

"What Do You think?"

Mikla Fires An Energy beam At The Sketch Pad, Reducing It To Ash.

"(Deep Sigh) Everyone`s An Art Critic..."

Mikla Leaps Down And Approaches Mask.

"HOLD IT!"

Mikla Pauses.  
>Mask Quickly Puts On Some "Google Eyed" Glasses.<p>

"You Wouldn`t Hit a Guy Wearing GLASSES, Now Would You?"

Mikla Snarls He Punches Mask With His Mystically Charges Skeletal Hand...Knocking Mask Down.

"You Know...i think he would." Said Mask

Mask Quickly Gets Up And Glares At Mikla.

"Okay, Pal...You`ve Just Made Me MAD!  
>And, When Mask Get`s Angry..."<p>

Mask`s Clothes Rip Up And He Turns Into The Incredible Hulk.

"Mask Talks Funny."

Mask Punches Mikla, Sending Him Through a Wall...Creating a "Cookie Cutter" Image.  
>Mask Changes Back To Normal And Laughs a Bit.<p>

"Oh, Man...These Jokes Just NEVER Get Old."

Mikla Blasts a Hole Through The Wall And Leaped Over To Mask.

"WHAT!, SORE AGAIN!  
>Sheesh, You Sure Are a Glutton For Punishment."<p>

Mask Reached Into His Pocket And Took Out His Mallet.  
>he Lifted It Up, Ready To Attack...Butm Then Stopped.<p>

"Okay, Bored Now..."

Mask Walked Away.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" Shouted Mikla

"To Get a Snack!  
>I Haven`t Had Anything To Eat In Hours, Go Play With That "Tiger Kid" For Awhile."<p>

As If On Cue, El Tigre Pounced After Mikla.  
>He Slashed At Him, But Mikla Blocked The Attack With His Skeletal Arm.<p>

As The Two Fought, Mask Was Sitting On a Lawn Chair...Eating BBQ Chips.

"This Is Better Than Watching Monday Night Football!"

Soon, The FOF And Riveras Join In The Battle.  
>As They Fight, Mask Gives "Commentary" With Frida.<p>

"It`s Looking Good, Folks!  
>Tigre And Mikla Are In a Face Off...The Aztec Looks Pretty Mad.<br>Now, It`s The "Black Birds" Egging Him With EXplosives...The Eggs Are a DUD!"

BOOM!

"Scratch That!, It`s a GOOD HIT!  
>But, Mikla Is Still In The Game And Throwing In All The Tricks.<br>It`s The Skeleton Dance, But WITHOUT The Dance...Just The Skeletons."

"Now, Puma Loco Is Going In For The Kill...  
>But, The Skeletons Block Him!, THERE GOINg FOR HIS POWER PACK!<br>Ol` "PETE PUMA" IS OUTTA CONTROL!, IS FLYING AROUND LIKE A DRUNKEN SEAGULL!  
>HE GRINDS THE SKELETONS BONES INTO DUST!, THE GIANT IS HAVING BREAD TONIGHT!"<p>

Puma Loco Flies Over Mask And Frida And Crashes.

"Ladies And Gentlemen...Puma Loco Is Out Of It!  
>Now, The Power Couple "White Pantera And Plata Peligrossa" Are Moving In...<br>Pantera Goes For a Kick...OOOH!, BUT HE MISSED And Flips Over Like Charlie Brown!

"good grief." Said Frida

Mask Continues.

"Now, The "Silver Seniorita" Goes In For The Kill.  
>She Throws a Mean Right Hook...Now, a Left Hook, Another Right, Another Left.<br>Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left, (Rapid Gibberish)

Mask Starts Talking Like An Auctionear.

"SOLD!  
>To The Sassy Girl With The Blue Hair."<p>

Mask Takes Out a Sombrero.

"Here Ya Go, Sweetheart..."

Mask Lifts Frida`s Goggles And Places The Sombrero Under Them.

"Now, BACK TO THE GAME!"

POW!

"Mikla Knocks Her Down!, THE CHAMP IS OUT OF IT!...Pantera Comes Back For More."

POW!

"OOOOH!  
>Pantera Bites The Dust...And He Is Out Of It!<br>Now, Comes The FOF...They Goe For a DIVE!"

ZZZZZZZZAP!

"Mikla Shoots At Them!  
>The "HOT MAMA" And "OLD BUZZARD" Are Down!<br>Now It`s Just Tigger And The Bitter Crow In The Fight."

"oh, no..." Said Frida

"What`s This?  
>Cuervo Hands Tigre a Bomb...Tigre Does a GRAPPEL PUNCH!<br>The Bomb Has Been Planted On Mikla Crown!, Tigre And Cuervo Make a Run For It!

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"AND, MIKLA IS OUT OF IT!"

Mask Zips Over To Tigre And Cuervo.

"THE WINNERS AND STILL CHAMPS: EL TIGRE AND BLACK CUERVO!"

Mask Hands Them a Trophy.

"WHAT FIGHT!...WHAT A SHOW!"

Mikla Get Up And And Staggers Around.  
>Mask Then Zips Over To Mikla.<p>

"And, To The LOSER...a FREE VACATION!"

Mask Snaps His Fingers And a Giant Rocket Appears.  
>He Walks The Dazed Mikla Over To It And Throws Him Inside.<p>

"Well, SO LONG, MICKEY!  
>Don`t Forget To Write, Now!"<p>

Mask Presses a Button And The Rocket Blasts Off And Disappears Into The Distance.

"Well, That`s The Last Of Him!

Suddenly, Mikla Appears In Front Of Mask In An Explosion.

"Sheesh, Your Harder To Get Rid Of Than Zits On a Teenager..."

"I`VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"

"Well, I`m Not Enjoying Your Face Either, Pal!"

Mask Pulls Out a Mallet From His Pocket This One Was MUCH LARGER (About The Size Of a Mini Van)

"Time To Whip Out "Ol` Betsy"!"

Mask Whacks Mikla A Coule Of Times, Creating Small Tremors Mikla STaggers Around In a Daze, Then Falls To The Ground.

Mask Places His Mallet Close To His Head Like a Golf Club.

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!"

Mask Swings And, With a Cracking Sound...He Flings Mikla Towards The Miracle City Volcano.

"I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Volcano Errupts And Mikla Is Lauched Further Away From The City.

"Okay, I`m Sure Of It This Time...He`s Definetly Out Of It!"

Mask Tossed His Mallet Away And Strolls Over To The Riveras And FOF.

"Thanks For You Help, Mask...Your a Real Hero!" Said White Pantera

"Well, Sometimes..."

Mask Hands Him a Wallet.

"What`s This?"

"Your Wallet.  
>I Was Gonna Keep It, But I Just Couldn`t Take It From Ya."<p>

Puma Loco Chuckled.

"Oh, He Good...And, I Don`t Mean That In a Bad Way."

"Why Did You Help us?" Asked Plata Peligrossa

"Oh, Some Kid Named Chris Asked Me To..."

"HE DID!" Exclaimed Cuervo

"Yep."

Just Then, Chief Suarez Walked Towards Mask.

"YOU EL STUPIDO!  
>I`M GONNA GET YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"<p>

"And, On That Note...I`m Out."

Mask Zipped Away, His Limbs Stretching Before Snapping Back.  
>He Ran Inside His Jet Which Changed Back Into a Car.<p>

As Mask Drove Off, Chief Suarez Hopped In His Squad Car And Chased After Him.

"YOU CAN RUN EL MASKO!  
>BUT, YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM POLICIA CHIEF EMILIANO SUAREZ!"<p>

The Riveras, FOF And Frida Just Watched This.

"awkward..." Said Frida, Breaking The Silence


	10. The Anniversary

El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

* * *

><p>The American Rivera<p>

Chapter 10: The Anniversary

[a Week Later]

Several People Were Watching The Televisions Displayed Out The Window Of The Electronic Store.  
>All The TV`s Was On The News Channel Where a Reporting Was "Reporting" The News.<p>

"Good Morning, Miracle City...  
>I Am Anna Garcia, And You Are Watching MCNN: The MIRACLE CITY NEWS NETWORK."<p>

"All Of Miracle City Is Going Nuts Over The New Green Headed, Zoot Suited Superhuman: THE MASK.  
>Who Saved Miracle City From An Invasion Attempt By MIKLA, The Dark Aztec Prince Of Doom..."<p>

"While Most Citizens Believe He`s a Hero, There Are Some That Feel He Is a Villain...  
>And, a Select Few That Claim That Their Not Really Sure What To Think."<p>

"Whatever The Case, One Question Is On EVeryone`s Mind: WHO IS THE MASK?"

Some Of The People Watching Leave...But, One Person Stays: Chris Johnson.  
>Who Just Stares At The Screen Blankly, His Eyes Like Pin Needles.<p>

He Slaps His Face Suddenly.

"great...  
>now, my "face" is everywhere!<br>(Sigh) I Just Knew I`d Regret Puttin That Mask Back On..."

Chris Walks Off.

"oh, well...at least i saved the city, not to mention my family and friends.  
>heh heh, and i DID get even with that jerk spike and his gang."<p>

Chris Looked Over To See Spike And his Gang In Orange Prison Suits, Picking Up Trash.

"Although Six Months Of Community Service Isn`t My Ide Of "Punishment"  
>I Guess It Is Better Than Nothing, Afterall."<p>

Chris Walked Away And Headed Towards His House At Maria`s Manor.  
>He Walked Over, Gripped The Handle Of The Door And Turned It.<p>

"SURPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!" Shouted The Riveras, Aves And Frida

Chris Was Taken Back.

"W-WHAT GOIN-"

Chris Noticed All The Party Decorations In The Room.

"So, What`s The Occasion?  
>It Isn`t My Birthday, Yet." Said Chris<p>

Maria Approached Chris.

"Chris...  
>It Has Been One Year Today That I Found You On The Streets And Took You Into My Home And Gave You a Family, So...We`ll Celebrating Your ONE YEAR ANNIVERSAY!"<p>

"Has It Been That Long Already?" Said Chris, Smiling a Bit

Maria Nodded.

"We All Worked Together To Make This Party Enjoyable...  
>Rudolfo And His Father Did The Decorations, Carmelita And Her Mother Baked The cake And, While I Was Busy With The Planning...Manny, Frida And Zoe Kept You Busy In Town."<p>

Chris Scratched His Chin.

"I Was Wondering Why They Wanted To Go To That Water Park SO BADLY..."

"We Also Got You Some Presents." Said Zoe

Carmelita Nodded.

"We All Did."

Chris Sat Down As His Family And Friends Brought Gifts It Him.

First, Was Manny.  
>Chris Opened His Gift...And Found a Brown Belt With a Silver Buckle With An "R" Painted On It.<p>

"I Made It In Arts And Crafts...  
>This Way, Everyone Will Know Your a RIVERA."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks, Manny."

Frida Ran Up.

"OPEN MINE!  
>OPEN MINE!"<p>

Chris Opened Frida`s Gift.  
>He Eyes It Dumbfoundedly As He Picked It Up.<p>

"Red Goggles?"

"YEP!  
>I have Tons Of Spares Back Home, I Wanted You To Have One Of Them!"<p>

Chris Grinned Sheepishly.

"Uhhhhhh...Thanks."

Zoe Eyed Frida, Then Approached Chris.

"I Also Have a Gift For You."

Chris Smiled He Took Zoe`s Gift And Opened It...It Was a Skulpture Of a Bald Eagle.

"You Made Me a Skulpture, So...I Decided To Make One For You.  
>It`s a Bald Eagle...Because Your An American And All That."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"thanks, zoey..."

Carmelita Walked Up.

"Here You Go...Hope You Like It."

Chris Opened The Gift And Found a Piece Of Paper.

"Chris Johnson Rivera...The Number One Art Student Of The Leone High SChool." Said Chris, Reading It

He Sighed Happily.

"signed by carmelita aves, art teacher."

Carmelita Smiled.

"You Deserve It.  
>That Is a Copy Of The Ones That Will Be On The Wall In My Classroom And My Office."<p>

Carmelita Brushed Her Hair.

"I Am Also Trying To Arrange For You To Get a Scholarship At CALARTS.

"The Famous Art School!" Exclaimed Chris

Carmelita Nodded.

"I Can`t Make Any Promises...Those People Are Tricky But, I Have Faith That You`ll Get In And Blow They Away WIth Your Talents."

Chris Smiled.

"Thanks, Mrs. Aves..."

It Was Nana Aves Turn Now.  
>She Just Handed His a Box.<p>

"here..." Said The Old Woman, a Little Miffed

Chris Opened It And Found a Bag Full Of Multi-Colored Gemstones.

"Their...Pretty."

"And Worth Plenty Of Money...  
>But, Daughter And Granddaughter Talk Me Into Giving You them."<p>

Carmelita Gave Her Mother a Glare.

"Anyway, Enjoy Them."

Rudolfo Ran Over.

"OPEN MY PRESENT!"

Chris Took It And Opened It.  
>His Eyes Widened As He Looked At It.<p>

"a Green, Rubber Mask?"

"I Bought It At a "99 Cent Store"...Now, You can Look Like THE MASK!"

Chris Shuddered Slightly.

"Um, T-Thanks...I`ll Be Sure To Keep This In Mind At Halloween."

Chris Put It Away.  
>Grandpapi Rivera Was Next.<p>

"Here You Go...I get You a GOOD GIFT For My New Grandson."

Chris Takes An Envelope And Opens It.

"Five...HUNDRED DOLLARS!"

Nana Aves Glared At Grandpapi Rivera.

"YOU CHEAT!  
>You Stole My Gift Idea!"<p>

"So?  
>I Steal Lots Of Things." Said The Old Man With a Smile<p>

Last Was Maria, Who Sat Down Near Her Son.

"Chris...I Thought Very Hard For My Gift To You.  
>So, Instead Of Buying Something...I Wrote Something."<p>

Maria Took Out a Piece Of Paper She Cleared Her Throat As She Began To Read.

"My Son...By Maria Rivera.

You Are My Son, Chris...That Was Always True.

Even Though You Were Not Born From Me In a Hospital...  
>The Love We Share Brought Me To You.<p>

We May Not Be Family By Blood And May Be From Different Nations But, None Of That Matters...For, When All Is Said And Done: Your Still Me Son.

You`ve Lived a Hard Life, One That Makes Me Still Shed Some Tears But, All Of That Is Over Now...For Your Now Where You Belong: Right Here.

You Are My Son, You Always Was...I Love You Like No Other.  
>But, I Hope That In Time...I Can Prove To Be Your Perfect Mother."<p>

When Maria Finished, Chris Was In Shock.  
>Tears Formed In His Eyes, Which He Wiped Away.<p>

"that was...Wonderful."

Maria Smiled.

"You Liked It?"

Chris Hugged Maria.

"i love it...mom."

Maria Smiled As She Hugged Chris.

"no matter what people may say...you will always be my son and, i hope that someday...we`ll find the truth about your real parents."

Chris Smiled.

"for now...i`m happy just being here with you, mom."

Maria Smiled, Tear In Her Eyes.

"Okay...  
>Now, Let`s Go Enjoy The Rest Of Your Party."<p>

Maria Got Up, As Did Chris.  
>They Spent The Next Several hours Playing Games, Eating The Cake And Dancing To Good Music.<p>

It Was Finally Night And Everyone Was Having Dinner Together.  
>Chris Suddenly Stood ANd Tapped His Glass, Indicating He Wanted To Talk.<p>

"You Attention, Everyone..."

Everybody Looked At Him

"I Have Something To Say."

Chris Sighed.

"I Want To Thank All Of You For This...But, Not Just The Party."

Chris Wiped a Tear From His Eye.

"Since I Was Born...I`ve Been All Alone.  
>I Never Knew My Real Family And Nobody Else Would Take Me...<br>But, I Am Very Thankful That Maria Was Kind Enough To Give Me That Chance."

Chris Looked At Maria, Who Smiled.

"I Hope That Someday...I Can Repay Her Kindness."

Chris Sighed.

"I Also Had No Friends Growing Up.  
>Nobody Cared Or Even Noticed Me...But, Zoey Did."<p>

Zoe Smiled.

"She`s My Best Friend...And, I DO Mean That.  
>I May Never Have Another Friend Like Her."<p>

Zoe Blushed a Little.

"Basicly, I have Had Rotten Luck...  
>All My Life, People Have Said I Was Worthless And Wouldn`t Amount To Anything."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"But, They Were Wrong...  
>See, The Only Dream I Ever Had As a Kid Was To Be Loved...You All Made It Come True.<br>So, All I Can Say is: Thank You For Caring, My Loving Family And Friends"

Everyone Clapped.  
>Chris Blushed Sheepishly As He Sat Down.<p>

[Later That Night]

Everyone Got Ready To Leave.  
>As The Aves Left, Zoe Stopped And Spoke To Chris.<p>

"Chris...Did You Really Mean What You Said Back There?"

"You Mean About Me Not Having ANother Friend Like You?...Of Course.  
>It`s Funny, Zoe...Whenever I feel Sad, All I Have To Do Is Think Of You...<br>And, Suddenly...I Don`t Hurt So Much Anymore."

Zoe Looked Into Chris`s Blue Eyes.

"Really?...You Mean That?"

Chris Nodded.

"Mmm-Hmm..."

Zoe Smiled.

"Well, Just So You Know...I Feel The Same Way About You."

Zoe Quickly Kissed Chris On The Cheek.  
>He blushed Bright red, As Did Zoe...But, She Turned To Hide It.<p>

"Goodnight, Chris...happy anniversary."

Zoe Left.

"Y-Yeah...Goodnight."

As The Other Riveras Left, Manny Stopped.

"Well, See Ya."

"Yeah...See Ya."

Manny Sighed.

"Chris...I`m Sorry For All The Trouble I Caused You I Didn`t Know You Had Such a Rough Life..."

"It`s Okay, Manny..."

"No...It`s Not.  
>I Hope That Someday I can Make It Up To You."<p>

Chris Shrugged His Shoulders.

"If That Makes You Happy..."

Frida Walked Up.

"Hey!  
>Me And Manny Are Gonna Hang Out Tommorrow After School...Why Don`t You COME WITH!"<p>

"Only If Zoe Can Come."

Frida Sighed.

"Fine...  
>But, She`d Better Not Do Stuff Like Pouring Honey On My Hair!"<p>

"I`ll be Sure To Tell Her, That..."

Frida Left.

"Well, Goodby, Bro." Said Manny, Who Left

Chris Waved.

"Yeah...You Too, Bro.

Chris, Then Walked Back Inside His House.

[Later, In Chris`s Room]

Chris Was Laying On His Bed, While Maria Was Sitting Beside Him.

"Now, Get Some Sleep, Mijo...  
>You Have a New Day Of School Ahead Of You."<p>

"Manny Is Also Taking Me In Town After School...This Time He`s Going Too."

Maria Smiled.

"I Know..."

"Mom..."

Maria Looked At Chris.

"Yes, Mijo?"

"Thank You For Taking Me Off The Streets That Day...  
>My Life Has Gotten Better Since You Bothered To Care About Me."<p>

Maria Smiled Warmly.

"How Could I Do Anything Else..." Said Maria

"I`m Glad I Found You Back Then, Too...  
>Sometimes I Feel It Was Meant To Happen."<p>

Chris Smiled.

"so do i..."

Maria Sighed.

"I Just Wish I Could Of Found You SOONER.  
>Everything That You Had To Go Through...It Never Should Of Happened To You."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"no argument, there."

Maria Patted His Head Affectionetly.

"Well...You`ll Never Have To Suffer Like That, Anymore.  
>I Am Going To Ensure Your Life Will Be Happy From Now On...This I Swear."<p>

Chris Sighed.

"You`ve Given Me So Much, Mom...But, I Have Nothing For You."

Maria Smiled.

"Your Love Is All I Really Need, Mijo."

Chris Smiled.

"There, That`s It...That Is All The Gift I Need: a Smile."

Maria Kissed Chris On His Forehead.

"Goodnight, Mijo...sweet dreams."

Maria Got Up And Began To Leave.

"goodnight...mom." Said Chris As He Turned And Went To Sleep.

Maria Smiled.  
>She Shut The Light And Closed The Door Behind Her.<p>

[Meanwhile, At The Aztec Lair Of Mikla]

The Aztec Prince Sat On His Throne...His Body Covered In Burns.  
>He Stared Intently Into An Energy Window, Watching Playbacks Of THE MASK In Miracle City.<p>

He Clenched His Skeletal Fist, Growling With Rage.

"Such Power...Wasted On Pointless Heroics."

Mikla`s Minions Trembled In Fear At Their Master`s Rage.

"I Swear...I Will Uncover The Secret To The Mask`s Power And MAke It MY OWN!  
>Then, I Shall Make HIM And All Of Miracle City Pay Dearly For My Defeat!"<p>

Mikla`s Eyes Glowed Bright Red.

"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

Mikla Laughed Maliciously, Which Echoed In The Darkness Of His Lair Bats Flew Away In Terror, While Dozens Of Skeletal Warriors Creeped In The Shadows.

THE END TO BE CONTINUED In "The Mask Of Miracle City"


End file.
